Power Rangers: Emergency Responders
by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley
Summary: In a world where humans and superhumans coexist, a superhuman crime lord rises to power, and it's up to two groups of rangers to work together to stop him!
1. Prologue

**Hey guys! All of the official information will be in the next chapter, which is the first actual chapter. This chapter is just to get you introduced to the villains and the problems in the society. This is not necessary to understand the series.**

 **Also, don't be startled by the cursing in this story. The main villains are in a gang and the rangers are adults, so as you would imagine, they do curse. It won't be too profound though!**

 **Bones is portrayed by Vin Diesel**

 **Thorn is portrayed by Liam Neeson**

 **The Boss is portrayed by Michael Malarkey**

* * *

 _"Since the beginning of 2016, crime has been rising in Waverly, California. The majority of the crime is controlled by the notorious gang of superhumans known as The Void, run by an unknown crime lord."_ The newscaster on TV reported. _"Since early May, the government organization, known as the Emergency Responders, have recruited three individuals to be Power Rangers to fight back against the threat. The three rangers include detective Victoria Fray, police officer Sean Francis, and forensic scientist Fantasia Slide."_

Beside the reporter was pictures of the three with their names underneath. A gruff figure growled from his chair as he paused the TV on their pictures.

"These are the pansies trying to stop me?" The man scoffed. His face was covered by the darkness in the room. "No, no. They shouldn't have shown their faces. Now they're dead. Bones! Thorn! Get your asses in here!"

Two large men came out of the next room. They wore dark outfits and bandanas to conceal their faces, making them majorily unrecognizable. The only thing visible was their eyes.

"Yeah, boss?" The taller, but thinner of the two responded. He wore a dark red bandana, while the bigger man wore a black one. His eyes were blue, while the other man's was dark brown.

"Thorn, do you know who these people are?" His boss addressed him.

The man known as Thorn looked to the TV before turning back to his boss. "Those are the new Power Rangers, sir. Don't worry - they'll be easy to take out. Most of them are women."

His boss looked mildly amused. "I can't wait to hear that when you're arrested by them after losing a fight."

Thorn chuckled nervously. "Boss, Bones and I can do it. They're little ants compared to us. They don't even know who we are. We could beat them easy."

"I hope so," He sat up in his seat to look closer at them. His face was no longer obscured, and it was immediately prelavent that their boss was much younger than them - by 15 years, at least. He had tan skin, brown hair, and brown eyes. He also had a gruff face and an evil glint to his eyes. "You know, if you don't beat them, I will call on a new resource to help me out. Are we clear?"

"Yeah boss," Thorn said. Bones nodded with him.

The young man sat back in his chair. "Good. Now, I don't want to hit it hard on the first time. Maybe.. give them an easier one and then hit them hard. Do you have anyone?"

Bones reached into his pocket and pulled out a strange looking device, which he placed on the table. The device lit up when it was turned on, and a holographic image of a young woman popped up.

"Lara Letford?" Their boss raised one eyebrow.

"She has a warrant out for.. aggravated assault," Thorn read. "She has superhuman strength." He looked up to his boss. "What do you think?"

She had tan skin, black hair, and green eyes. She had escaped from the custody of the police after the attack, injuring the officers with her baseball bat, some of them pretty badly.

Their boss titled his head to the side before nodding. "Alright. Find her, and send her out. We have work to do."

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Emergency Responders:** The chief rangers are introduced and, after a tough battle, gain a new ranger.

 **Alright guys, I hope you liked it! Like I said, all the information will be in the next chapter! Hope you liked this prologue!**

 **Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	2. Ep 1: Chiefs Part I

**Hey guys, welcome to the first chapter! Feel free to skip to the story below, though you might miss out on a few things!**

 **First of all, I would like to thank everyone who submitted a character once again! If you would like to see all of the characters I chose, feel free to check out my wikia (link is in my bio)! Keep in mind that there may be SPOILERS if you do that, so read at YOUR OWN RISK!**

 **As always, I like to remind you that most of my views come from teenagers or older, and that this will be a more mature season than regular Power Rangers. I'll still try to keep some of the regular Power Rangers material, but will also have material for an older, and more mature, audience. This also pertains to the type of season this is, being as it will deal with certain crimes and things like that that are not suitable for a young audience.**

 **Anyways, here is the current cast list!**

 **Tori is portrayed by Odette Annable**

 **Sean is portrayed by Miles Teller**

 **Taz is portrayed by Asli Tandogan**

 **Joey is portrayed by Logan Lerman**

 **Masters is portrayed by Mark Wahlberg**

 **Sera is portrayed by Lexi Ainsworth**

 **Lia is portrayed by Scarlett Johansson**

 **Sophie is portrayed by Melissa Benoist**

 **Andi is portrayed by Sasha Pieterse**

 **The cover photo and video are up, so check them out and let me know what you think!**

 ***Also, if you can't tell, this chapter (and the next) is dedicated to the chief rangers. Since this deals with two teams, there will be certain chapters with only the chiefs, or only the lieutenants, so don't feel left out if you don't see your character yet, because he or she is coming very soon!***

 **Anyways, I hope you guys like it!**

* * *

It was the middle of the year in Waverly, California, and the start of the real summer months. It was quite hot out, and it was making a few people antsy. Crime rates in Waverly had risen up dramatically since the beginning of 2016, and most of it was run by the superhuman crime ring known as the Void.

They called themselves the Void supposedly because of two reasons. One was because they felt stuck in a void with all of the humans around, instead of just superhumans, and two was that they wanted to be the reason all humans were gone.

Because of their intense efforts, the government organization, the Emergency Responders, or just ER, decided to fight back harder, creating their first and, currently, only team of power rangers.

They fought back against all crime, using their skills to take down and, hopefully, reduce crime rates. It was currently unclear how much it was helping to reduce said crime, though it was definitely effective at bringing in crime.

Down one of the various small side streets, a man flipped over the hood of a car with a pistol in his hand just as a woman was opening the car door. She screamed and he grabbed her roughly by the hair.

"Get in and drive." He growled, shoving her in before running around and jumping into the passenger seat. "Go to the pier and don't stop unless I say so. If you do, I'll blow your brains out!" He pushed the gun up to the side of her head.

She cried loudly and started up her car quickly with shaking hands. She began to drive off extremely fast down the street, swerving in between cars to avoid stopping.

"Why are you doing this?!" She exclaimed, sobbing hard. It was almost hard to see with the amount of crying she was doing.

"Did I fucking say you could talk?" He ground out through gritted teeth. "Shut up."

Despite crying fiercely, the woman took a few deep breaths to quiet herself. Suddenly, they heard sirens coming up behind them. The man looked in the rear-view mirror.

Behind them were two individuals on motorcycles with flashing lights. "Shit!" The man cursed. "Keep driving," He warned the woman before he turned around to get a better look.

When he could see better, he cursed again, and louder. Behind them were two of the power rangers. The one up closer to them was the red ranger and right behind her was the blue.

Their suits were completely white with a jacket-like cover in their respective color. The red ranger's jacket came down longer to give the appearance of a skirt on the sides and back of her hips. Their jackets were outlined in yellow material and their boots were outlined in their color. Their helmets were their color, and had police light colors accenting the top of their rectangular visors. They also had belts around their waists with the same design in the front, and weapons along the sides. This belt cut off the blue ranger's jacket, and held the red ranger's in tighter to give her a more form-fitting look.

"Damn it," The man growled. "It's the rangers." He opened the window and leaned out, shooting his gun towards the two. Both of the rangers swerved out of the way of the shots before the red ranger pressed a button on the top of her bike.

Out of nowhere, a red laser came out of her motorcycle and made the car spin out of the control before it came to a stop against a tree. The two rangers stopped besides the car, and the red ranger was quick to grab the man as he stumbled disorientedly out of the car. She pulled handcuffs off of her belt and pushed him roughly against the car as she cuffed him.

The blue ranger ran over to the woman and pulled her out in a bridal carry style. "Are you alright, miss?" He asked, holding her protectively in his 6'0 frame.

"My head hurts," She groaned, leaning into him.

"Alright, lay down while I call you an ambulance," He set her down gently, laying her out straight in case of any serious injury before pulling his wrist morpher up to his mouth. "Sera, we need an ambulance over here at 1st and Fall Parkway. Need a car too."

 _"On it, Sean."_ Sera, the intern for the Chief Base, reported to him.

"Thanks," He hung up his communication and looked over the car where the red ranger was patting down the man for any more weapons. He snapped his fingers to get her attention. "Tori, you got it?"

Tori finished up and held the man by his handcuffs. "As usual." She muttered, walking the man around the car. "Did you call for a car?"

"Of course," Sean nodded.

"Good," Tori said, pushing the man into a sitting position against the car. "By the way, don't snap your fingers at me. You _always_ do that, and it is the most irritating thing in the whole entire world. Nobody likes that, Sean."

Sean rolled his eyes. "Glad I can count on you to tell what to do."

She shrugged. "Well, I am the leader for a reason."

"Yeah, I can think of a few," He muttered, causing her to elbow him roughly as the car and ambulance pulled up.

 **\- Cue Opening (Link in Bio) -**

"Another mission well done," Sera smiled as she spun in a chair at the Chief Base, her brown ponytail whipping around as she did so. The twenty two year old had a youthful face, tan skin, brown eyes, and was about 5'1. She wore a pink and gray striped shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes. She was also holding an Ipad-looking tablet in her hands.

Sera was currently sitting in the forensics lab in the base, and was watching another young woman typing on the computer about the information she found about the latest body. "So, Taz, how did he die?"

Taz, the head forensic scientist, turned to her with an exasperated look on her face. "Sera, you can't just ask questions like that," She scolded. "It's rude. But, since you asked and I know you won't give up until you find out, it was old age as far as I can tell. Definitely no case here."

Taz was a beautiful young woman with long brown hair, big blue eyes, lightly tanned skin, and was about 5'4. She wore her usual uniform, consisting of a dark green button up tucked into black slacks, a white lab coat, and black nurse's shoes under blue covers.

"Are you sure?" Sera leaned forwards in her seat, looking at the man on the table. "I mean, he's not very old. Plus, I was on the job at the time and he was still alive when we picked him up. He was trying to tell us something."

"Well, I understand that, but there's no evidence of foul play here," Taz told her, taking the sheet to cover the body before sliding the table back into the wall and closed the door. "I'll be sending my final report over to Masters' after I print it out."

Sera stopped her from sitting back down. "Wait, maybe we should take one more look at the scene. It's blocked off from civilians. There might be something there. Besides, sometimes, superhumans can do things that we can't pick up on without a bit of digging. Is there anything unusual? At all?"

Taz sighed. "The only thing I can think of is that his CT scans looked like someone who was practically brain dead."

"But he wasn't!" Sera jumped up from her seat. "See, we have to investigate!"

"Investigate what?" Tori and Sean came into the room, demorphing as they entered.

Sean was a handsome guy with short dark brown hair, brown eyes and pale skin. He was dressed in his uniform, which was typical police officer attire. Tori, meanwhile, was a pretty young woman with tan skin, brown hair, hazel eyes, and was about 5'9, making her tower over the other two girls. She wore a red blouse, black jeans, and black boots, with a black trench-coat over as her uniform.

Taz gestured to the morgue on the wall. "Sera wants to investigate our brain dead, old-age case." She reported. "Apparently, the man was never actually brain dead before he was.. well, dead."

"Okay, well, what do you think?" Sean asked. "Should we start one up?"

Sera leaned over to be in the conversation. "Actually, I think you should let me and Taz go look over the scene before we start an official investigation." When Tori and Sean exchanged looks, Sera continued. "I mean, she does need some work out in the field. What good is a green ranger if all she does is sit in the lab?"

"Sera!" Taz scoffed, crossing her arms at her. "My job is to sit in the lab. I'm a forensics scientist. I diagnose the deceased for a living."

"You're also a power ranger for one, as well," Sera pointed out. "You're a ranger for a reason, Taz. Let's go. You need some experience."

"I'm sure our resident detective and officer would love to investigate, given that it's their job," The green ranger gave them a look.

Tori shrugged. "Actually, I think she's right. You need some experience, and the only one who knows about this guy is you. I'll send Sean out with you to help you out, since I actually need Sera to help me in the interrogation of this guy we just brought in. He might need medical attention, considering he was in a car accident."

"You never let me go out with you guys," Sera muttered.

Tori nodded. "That's because you're needed elsewhere. You're not just a paramedic, you're also our intern, which means when you're not on the job, you're needed here."

While they left, Sean gestured out. "Shall we?"

Taz sighed and pulled her lab coat and shoe covers off before grabbing her bag. "Alright, let's go."

\- PRER -

ER itself was actually much larger than most thought. It had a police station in front, two firehouses, though one was pretty much abandoned, another, more advanced station for the detectives, two labs, and a training area. There were also various living quarters, and two bases - the chief base, and the lieutenant base - in the middle, dividing ER by it rank.

Currently, the bases were used for ranger activity only, making them, their mentors, interns, and anyone else they needed being the only ones allowed in there.

 _"Since the beginning of 2016, crime has been rising in Waverly, California. The majority of the crime is controlled by the notorious gang of superhumans known as The Void, run by an unknown crime lord."_ The newscaster on TV reported. _"Since early May, the government organization, known as the Emergency Responders, have recruited three individuals to be Power Rangers to fight back against the threat. The three rangers include detective Victoria Fray, police officer Sean Francis, and forensic scientist Fantasia Slide."_

Standing in the firehouse, the lead of the fire crew, Joseph Dixon, often called Joey, stood, watching on the TV as their images showed up. "Wow," He commented under his breath. "That's quite a goal to reach."

Joey was an attractive young man with pale skin, black hair, blue eyes, and was about 5'9. He wore his usual yellow firefighter uniform, and had stopped what he was doing to watch it.

Just as he was about to continue washing the firetruck, he noticed Sean and Taz walk through. He quickly walked over to them, still holding the hose in his hands. "Hey, you guys are the chief rangers!" He nearly exclaimed. "You guys are great. I'm Joseph Dixon, chief of the fire crew, but you can call me Joey. I'm here anytime you need me, just so you know."

Sean and Taz smiled at his excitement. "Thank you so much," Taz gave him a sweet smile.

"We'll be sure to call you first if we need any of you," Sean nodded. "Thanks."

Joey nodded. "No problem." As they walked away, Joey called out. "Remember, anytime!"

\- PRER -

Tori sat on the other side of the table in the interrogation room, watching as Sera carefully examined the man. She put a butterfly bandage over a small cut on his head and shrugged.

"Besides that, he seems okay. Just bruised and cut up," Sera told Tori, before turning to the man again. "You'll probably be sore tomorrow - then again, you probably would be anyways considering you're sleeping in a prison cell."

Tori cleared her throat and gestured for Sera to leave. When she did so, Tori turned towards the man, who smirked as he looked her over. "You're hot, Miss red ranger."

"It's Detective Fray to you," Tori said stoically, ignoring his comment. "So, what's your name?"

"I don't know, what's yours?" He leaned forward, licking his lips.

Tori leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "I already told you."

He chuckled. "No, no. I want your full name, and I'm going to call you by it if you want mine."

She sighed and nodded irritatedly. "Okay, then. I'm Victoria Fray, who are you?"

"Mark," He said shortly. "Rene."

"Mark Rene?" Tori nodded. "Okay, so, what's your ability?" He gestured to her, and remained silent. "We're playing that game, huh? Alright, well, I don't actually need you to talk. Mine is that I can read minds, so, whether you talk or not, I know everything."

Mark sighed exasperatedly. "Fine, I'll tell you, but, if anyone asks, I didn't snitch."

"Alright," Tori said. "Tell me."

He nodded. "Well, my power is pretty lame if you ask me. Superhuman endurance. I can survive things most people can't without anything significant happening," Mark rolled his eyes. "Great, so useful in this business. Anyways, all I did was rob a liquor store for two hundred dollars." He said. "If you're looking for the one who murdered that old guy, it's not me."

Tori held a hand up to stop him from talking. "What 'old guy?'"

Mark made a face. "You know, the one you brought in the other day."

"He was murdered?"

\- PRER -

Sean and Taz were at the sight, and, while Sean was looking around the house, Taz shook her head. "Sean, I don't think there's anything here."

"There might be, though," Sean pointed out. "Just because we can't see anything yet doesn't mean there's absolutely nothing. I mean, there could even be fingerprints we're missing."

Taz crossed her arms awkwardly across her chest. "I don't know, I think he just died of natural causes..."

"Brain death is natural?" Sean stopped to look over at her.

"Well, the brain cells do die rapidly after a death."

"But, was he brain dead before we got there, is the real question." Sean told her. "He died on the way to the hospital, and he was trying to talk but couldn't. He also didn't seem to understand what we were saying."

Taz rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but there are other explanations to that too." She said, a bit irritated. "He could've had a stroke, or a..."

Sean snapped his fingers at her. "Okay, but you can detect those things. Did you?"

"You need to stop snapping at people, first of all," Taz told him. "Second of all, no, we didn't."

He frowned. "Then why would you be putting this off, Taz? Don't you want to solve this murder?"

"Well, we don't know if it's a murder or not, and, yeah, I do, but I'm worried about us. Tori, you, and I. We might be preventing the harder crimes than, say, the students, but they could replace us if they found anyone better. If we lose a case, we could get replaced." Taz sighed. "Look, Sean, I heard Masters talking to Lia. They said if we can't handle it, or if there's need for it, they're going to get another team."

Sean looked her over. "So, you're thinking of passing a murder as an average, run of the mil, old age death?" He shook his head. "We can't do that!"

Taz nodded. "I know, I agree. I'm saying we to do this on our own time. Without reporting to Masters, and even without Sera knowing. Only Tori, you, and I should know until we can get this straightened out."

He narrowed his eyes. "Well, in that case we're damned if we do and damned if we don't. You see, if we do that and can't figure out anything, we're letting a murderer go free, and if we do that and get caught by Masters, he'll kill us and kick us out of ER. Either way, something we don't want to happen is gonna happen."

"What if we solve the murder and report it to Masters?" Taz pointed out. "Then we're golden."

Sean scoffed. "Not when he finds out we kept it from him. Especially not when he finds out you were eavesdropping."

"I wasn't eavesdropping, Sean," Taz rolled her eyes. "I overheard him while I was walking to the lab."

"Even if we had a chance for that, which we don't, it would be a bad idea. Thankfully, it's too late for that. Sera already knows, and probably reported to him what we're doing." Sean said.

\- PRER -

"Sera," An older man, around the age of 40, stopped her. He was about 5'8 with black hair, green eyes, and light tan skin. He wore a long sleeved tan button up tucked into black slacks, and black loafers. He also wore a black blazer and a black tie. "Do you happen to know where the rangers are?"

She nodded. "Sure, Masters. Tori is in interrogation room A with our newest perp, and Sean and Taz are out investigating the death of that old man we brought in the other day. The John Doe,"

Masters frowned. "Hold on," He stopped her again as she was about to walk away. "I thought the John Doe died of old age."

"Oh, well there was a few complications in that summary, so the two decided to go and figure it out. Taz will tell you the details when she gets back." Sera's pager beeped. "Ooh, I got to go. Duty calls. See you later, Masters."

He watched her leave and frowned. Masters quickly walked over to the city monitors and looked at the crime scene, seeing only the house, but not Sean or Taz. "Of course, they're inside," He muttered, before turning on his heel and exiting the Chief Base.

Masters walked through the various departments and over to the Lieutenant base, where a young woman was standing, looking through a tablet similar to Sera's, also next to another young woman who was looking through the monitors. The one standing was a tall girl with blonde hair, brown eyes, and light skin, while the one sitting was a bit shorter, had curlier hair, and had blue eyes instead of brown. Both were dressed in a paramedic uniform.

"Hey, Sophie, Andi, have you seen Lia?" He asked.

The girl sitting, Andi, turned around. "She was actually just about to go out on lunch. She'll be in in a second to make sure everything's okay before she leaves, though. She's a bit OCD like that."

Sophie, the young woman standing, shook her head. "She's just fine, Andi," She looked up at Masters. "So, what are you in for? Just in case she leaves before you catch her,"

Master pursed his lips. "Well, just tell her it's about our project."

"Project?" They heard a voice and turned to see a short, blonde haired, woman walk over to them. She was dressed casually, as she was about to leave for break, wearing a light pink sweater over black skinny jeans and black booties. As she walked in, she noticed her interns and raised an eyebrow. "You're both on call today?"

"Well, we _do_ work together, you know," Andi pointed out.

Sophie nodded. "Yeah, we're off in an hour, though."

Andi smirked. "Thank god for that. I'm so tired."

"You do know you still have to work for me, right?" Lia pointed out, making Andi sigh and turn back to her work. Lia chuckled before turning back to Masters. "So, what about it?"

Masters sighed. "You know I have the utmost faith in my rangers, but I think it's time to get to work finding your lieutenants. The chiefs may be considered the best, but they all have their faults. Besides that, we need someone to take care of smaller crimes while we deal with bigger ones."

Lia crossed her arms. "You want me to make a team of _power rangers_ just to have them solve petty crimes?"

He scoffed. "Not petty crimes. We leave those to our students. You know what I mean. I need the chiefs in for the big ones. Like gruesome serial murderers and gang rapists. You guys can handle singular murders and break-ins and such."

"I'll look around," Lia nodded after a moment. "But, don't push us back if we get in on one of your missions, Linc."

Masters shrugged. "Fine, if you think they can handle it. But, keep in mind this isn't for sure. I want to see how my rangers do first."

"No problem."

Meanwhile, on the other side of ER, Tori had Mark locked up before running out of the complex as fast as she could - which happened to be through the chief firehouse. As she did so, she passed Joey, who watched her sprint out.

 _Where is she going?_ He thought, before deciding to follow her out.

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Emergency Responders:** Taz and Sean face off against the murderer, while Tori and her follower try to get there to help out. In the meantime, Masters continues to worry about the chiefs, and appoints a yellow ranger to help them out, also considering allowing Lia to get her own group.

 **Next chapter title:** Chiefs Part II

 **So, I know this chapter was a bit less action-packed than most Power Rangers stories, but, considering the motif of this story, that should be expected. These rangers will be looking into and trying to solve the crime before they fight, most of the time. There will be action in the next chapter, though, as you can see from the description.**

 **I hope you guys are liking it so far anyways! If you aren't liking how I portrayed your character, or have any questions, feel free to PM me or leave a review!**

 **As I said, this is only the first part of the first 'episode', so if it seems a bit descriptive or anything, that's why. It'll be similar (in character descriptions) when I introduce the lieutenants in the next two-parter, but it won't be like that - unless I introduce a new, and important character - for the rest of the story.**

 **Anyways, guys, I really hope you liked this and the prologue (if you read it), and I'd love to hear what you guys think! I always read all of your reviews, and appreciate them a lot! See you guys very soon with the next chapter, bye!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	3. Ep 2: Chiefs Part II

**Here's the second part guys! I'm so glad you all are liking it so far! Oh, and I realized I forgot to upload the character bios on my wiki, so they're there now if you want to check them out! They're all done, except for the villains. I will be upload those, but I want to keep a bit of mystery about them for now, but feel free to check out the others!**

* * *

 **Last time on Power Rangers: Emergency Responders**

Masters pursed his lips. "Well, just tell her it's about our project."

"Project?" They heard a voice and turned to see a short, blonde haired, woman walk over to them. She was dressed casually, as she was about to leave for break, wearing a light pink sweater over black skinny jeans and black booties. As she walked in, she noticed her interns and raised an eyebrow. "You're both on call today?"

"Well, we _do_ work together, you know," Andi pointed out.

Sophie nodded. "Yeah, we're off in an hour, though."

Andi smirked. "Thank god for that. I'm so tired."

"You do know you still have to work for me, right?" Lia pointed out, making Andi sigh and turn back to her work. Lia chuckled before turning back to Masters. "So, what about it?"

Masters sighed. "You know I have the utmost faith in my rangers, but I think it's time to get to work finding your lieutenants. The chiefs may be considered the best, but they all have their faults. Besides that, we need someone to take care of smaller crimes while we deal with bigger ones."

Lia crossed her arms. "You want me to make a team of _power rangers_ just to have them solve petty crimes?"

He scoffed. "Not petty crimes. We leave those to our students. You know what I mean. I need the chiefs in for the big ones. Like gruesome serial murderers and gang rapists. You guys can handle singular murders and break-ins and such."

"I'll look around," Lia nodded after a moment. "But, don't push us back if we get in on one of your missions, Linc."

Masters shrugged. "Fine, if you think they can handle it. But, keep in mind this isn't for sure. I want to see how my rangers do first."

"No problem."

Meanwhile, on the other side of ER, Tori had Mark locked up before running out of the complex as fast as she could - which happened to be through the chief firehouse. As she did so, she passed Joey, who watched her sprint out.

 _Where is she going?_ He thought, before deciding to follow her out.

 **Now**

Taz and Sean sat on the porch steps of the old man's house, dejected looks on their faces. Taz was playing with a loose strand of hair that had fallen out of her braid, and Sean was looking at a scuff on his shoe, neither of them talking until Sean broke the silence.

"We have to keep trying." Sean spoke up softly. "Somewhere out there is a murderer and we have to find him or her."

Taz nodded. "Yeah, but where can we search? I mean, I guess I can call Junior to come out to help us, but who knows if he'll even want to get involved." Junior was Taz's boyfriend, who worked at a police station in the next town over, Holt Lake, and it wasn't likely that the officers from that town came over to help.

"How is Junior anyways?" Sean asked awkwardly, playing with the scuff in his shoe.

"He's good, he's good." Taz replied in an equally awkward tone. She looked over at him nervously. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Sean nodded, looking over at her with a small chuckle. "I'm great. Fantastic, even. What about you?"

Taz nodded with him. "Same,"

The two looked away in an uncomfortable silence. Sean internally cursed at himself. _This isn't high school, Sean. Why do you do this to yourself?_

 _Damn it, Taz,_ She thought. _Stop it. You can't do that._

"So, watch any good shows lately?" Sean asked. _Wow, that's the best conversation you can come up with? You suck._ He thought to himself.

Taz looked back at him. "Oh, yeah. I've been really liking Bates Motel, but the new season isn't coming on until next year, so..." She shrugged. _Try to be a bit more awkward next time._ Taz thought.

"Wow, that's a long time," Sean mumbled.

"Yeah, it sucks." Taz nodded before they once again lapped into an uncomfortable silence.

Sean sighed. "Okay, look, Taz..." They were cut off when they heard the window next to them shattering due to a gun shot. Sean grabbed Taz and pulled her down while protecting her with his body. They stared at each other as they were on the ground for a moment, before looking over to see a woman standing there with a gun in her hand.

She had tan skin, black hair, and green eyes that were filled with hate. Sean looked her over for a moment, before remembering that he saw her picture at the base.

"Lara Letford?" He asked, the two getting up slowly as she trained the gun on them the whole time. Sean stood in front of Taz, due to him having the protection of a bullet proof vest, versus her not having anything to protect her.

The woman looked him over for a moment. "I guess so, Sean Francis and Fantasia Slide. Where's your valiant leader Victoria Fray?"

Sean was reaching to his own gun. "Why does that matter to you?"

"Well," Lara had a mischievous glint in her eye. "Probably so that I can kill all three of you at once and kill two birds with one stone.. or three."

Sean was quick to pull out his gun and point it at her, but she had already shot at him. The bullet hit him square in the chest, and, although he wasn't pierced due to the vest, he was thrown back into Taz and the two fell to the ground.

Taz got up from behind him as Sean held his body in pain. Lara looked slightly startled at him not getting actually shot, and Taz took this as an opportunity.

"Emergency Responders," Taz held her arm in front of her chest. She pressed the buttons 9-1-1 on her morpher. "Get Into Action!"

She was suddenly surrounded by red, blue, and green lights, hitting her across her body. While the green obviously represented Taz's color, the red and blue represented the flashing lights on the top of a emergency response vehicle.

Lara put her arm up to protect her face against the light, and, when the light died down, she looked past it to see Taz dressed in her ranger suit, similar looking to Tori's, though her's was green in all the respective places.

"Green Chief Ranger!" She called out. Taz looked directly at Lara. "You're under arrest."

 **\- Cue Opening -**

"So," The boss looked through the database of wanted criminals on his holographic computer. "This is all you've got me?" He raised his eyes up to meet Bones', who shrugged. Thorn walked up next to him and looked over it.

"Is that a bad thing, boss?" Thorn asked, frowning. "This is a pretty good number."

The boss smirked. "Well, pretty good isn't great is it?" He slammed his fist down on the table. "Get me more. As many as you can find. I want an army. People I can call on whenever I need them," He glared, his eyes turning a strange amber color. "And I mean, whenever I want."

As if they were robots, Bones and Thorn stood up straight and stared at him for a few moments before nodding.

"Yes, sir." Thorn said as Bones nodded along with him.

The two walked out, almost like they were on treadmills. The boss watched him leave with a small chuckle. "Sometimes, life is just too easy."

"Silas," A feminine voice called from a back room, which was his bedroom. He turned back to her at his name, and licked his lips as he looked her over. She was dressed very risque, and was leaning suggestively against the door frame. "You want my service now or not? I do need to get to other clients."

Silas stood up and walked over to her, smirking as he rubbed his hand slowly down her body. "Of course, Sugar."

The two went into the bedroom and closed the door behind them.

\- PRER -

Taz ducked out of the way of a shot, and tried to run forward to grab the gun out of Lara's hand. Lara pulled her hand back and hit her with the butt of the gun before flipping back onto a car roof, shattering the glass of the windows under the pressure.

The green ranger growled under her breath and grabbed a nightstick from her belt and used it to sweep her feet out from under her. Lara fell back and off of the car, though she recovered quickly.

She jumped back up and tried to shoot at Taz again, but her gun was jammed.

"Damn it!" Lara threw the gun down and hopped back onto the car roof. "You'll never beat me!"

Suddenly, she was thrown from the car roof. Taz looked over to see Tori coming over with a blaster in hand. She gestured to it in confusion. "You gotta know the right combo to use to get it," Tori gestured to her wrist morpher, where there were all of the numbers. "It's combo 3-9-2. It's useful, considering we don't want to kill our criminals."

"You know what she did?" Taz gestured to her.

"Yeah," Tori nodded as Lara got back to her feet with a scowl engraved into her face. Tori put her blaster back up and pointed it at Lara. "She killed that old man."

"Excuse me?" Lara almost laughed. "She did what now?"

Tori rolled her eyes. "Don't play dumb, Lara. We all know you did it. Your little distraction of a partner explained it all to me."

 _\- Flashback -_

 _"He was murdered?" Tori asked in shock. "No, didn't he die of natural causes? I mean, there were no wounds."_

 _Mark nodded. "Yeah, but the dude wasn't brain dead before that incident. He didn't have a stroke, so now what? Obviously, you can put the pieces together, Victoria."_

 _Tori nearly cringed at her name being spoken by this criminal, before she pursed her lips and continued. "Actually, I have no idea what you're talking about. What happened to that man."_

 _"Well, first of all, his name is Lugh Schaal, and, as you already know, he's a human." Mark told her. "Anyways, Lugh made a deal with Lara Letford's partner in crime, who no one knows, and he didn't pay. Lara went over there with her partner, and killed him with a psonic blast. I was the distraction to get you off of her when she was trying to find a place to hide where the cops wouldn't find her."_

 _"Wait," Tori put her hand up to stop him. "Lara doesn't have a psonic blast."_

 _"Someone does," Mark said, putting his hands on the table. "One of the two. Either way, the person that did it seems to be..."_

 _Tori stood up suddenly when her morpher beeped like a siren on her wrist. "I have to go," She said, grabbing her coat. She opened the interrogation room and called for the guards to come and get him._

 _As she ran out, and the guards began to roughly drag him towards the holding cells, he tried to call towards her. "Wait! I had to tell you that one of them is really powerful! You could die!"_

 _\- End of Flashback -_

"So, now what?" Tori tightened her grip on her blaster. "You ready to come with us? We know everything."

Lara smirked. "No without a fight!"

She flipped over the car and kicked Tori down hard, making a dent in the ground where she landed. She punched towards Taz, who tried to block it but was shocked at the amount of strength in the punch.

"She has super strength!" Taz screamed as Lara twisted her arm, making her fall to her knees to cushion the bending.

"Just a little more," Lara grabbed Taz by the chin of her helmet with her other hand. "And it'll snap your bones from your elbow. You'll never be same."

Sean had managed to get back up at this point. "Emergency Responders, Get Into Action!" He called. "Blue Chief Ranger!"

He pulled Tori back, out of the way, and kicked the arm that was grasping Taz's. The green ranger fell back and held her arm in pain as Sean fought back. Lara growled at him and tried to sweep his feet out from under him, but he jumped high into the air to avoid it in a swirl of air, before descending and kicking her down in the same manner.

From behind a building, Joey watched in awe. "Levitation," He whispered to himself. "Awesome!"

Lara flipped back to her feet and kicked him in the chest in her way up. When she stood, she looked around in confusion. "Where did your friends go?" Lara asked, wiping blood from her lip with an insane smirk on her face.

"Right here!" Taz and Tori suddenly appeared from behind her, and jumped off of two nearby cars, Taz on the left and Tori on the right, and kicked her down. Lara grunted in pain as she fell.

Joey almost smiled in admiration. "Invisibility," He nodded. "That's crazy!"

The young woman stumbled up from the floor and stood angrily, and shakily, in front of the two. "You can't beat me." She sneered. "Never." Lara grabbed them both by the throats and lifted them up with ease, choking them in the process.

Tori kicked and struggled hard against the hold, as did Taz, though Lara wasn't letting up. Sean got up and tackled Lara, knocking all four of them to the ground. Lara groaned in pain, but she wasn't ready to give up. She kicked Sean high into the air and threw the two girls with him, making them all demorph and land on the sidewalk.

Lara walked slowly over to them, smiling with all of the blood and bruises on her face.

"Any final words, chiefs?" Lara mocked.

She was about to deal the final blow to them, when suddenly a shot was heard. The chiefs looked in shock as Lara's face contorted from success to shock and into pain in less than minute. Lara's shirt began to turn red from her upper left chest, and she turned around slowly to see Joey standing there with her gun in his hand.

The chiefs also looked at him as Lara fell to the ground, breathing heavily and trying to contain the injury. Joey ran over to the three and helped them up, glad to see them mildly okay, despite their injuries.

"You guys okay?" He asked, looking them over.

"We can get checked out at the base," Tori pushed Joey back defensively. "Who are you, and what are you doing here? I could arrest you right here, right now if you don't cooperate."

"Hold up," Sean pulled her back from Joey. "He works at ER with us. He's the fire chief, Joseph Dixon."

Joey put his finger up. "I go by Joey, just so you know."

Tori ignored him. "Well, he just shot someone."

"Someone who was going to kill us!" Taz input, amazed that Tori wasn't more grateful. "He saved our lives, and Lara's not dead." She kneeled next to Lara and cuffed her, despite her protests. Taz pulled her shoe off and grabbed her sock, holding it against the wound in her back. "Sean, you should call for an ambulance. Make sure to tell them she's highly dangerous, and we'll be there to interrogate her as soon as she's capable of doing so."

Tori crossed her arms. "Are you taking charge, Taz? It's funny, cause, before now, you've just stayed in your lab."

"Yeah, well, someone has to," Taz looked up at her. "You care more about the fact that he shot someone, than you do about the fact that he saved our lives and did what anybody who needed to would've done."

"Really?" Tori gave a humorless chuckle. "Because, considering the fact that he's not a ranger or an officer, he can't do that. So, I'll do my job by bringing him to Masters like I'm supposed to."

\- PRER -

While Masters decided to leave to go on lunch with Lia to discuss their project, Andi escaped the lieutenant base to go check on the holding cells to make sure the prisoners were safely put away until they got transferred to Waverly Prison to ride out their sentences.

She took her tablet with her, looking in the cells to call out the names of the criminals. "Carson Vido?" She asked, and the tan man nodded at her from his seat on the bench, refusing to look up at anyone. Mark was also in there with him. "Mark Rene?" He looked up at her, before nodding and putting his head down dejectedly.

Andi moved to the next person. "George Tucker?" She asked, and the light skinned man in there raised his hand at her. She looked in and saw another, darker skinned man with him. "Steven Jefferies?" The man put his thumb up.

"Lilly Anne Stewart?" She said, moving on to the next, and final, cell with anyone in it, where a short, tan woman stood with her head down, her black hair covering her face. The woman didn't respond. "Lilly Anne?" Andi frowned, knocking on the wall next to the cell. "Are you Lilly Anne?" The woman stood there, moving her fingers in a contorted motion. "Are you alright? I'm a paramedic, I can help you if you're hurt."

This woman looked up at her, and Andi was taken aback suddenly. The young woman's green eyes were wide with anguish as she looked up, revealing a startling picture. Her mouth was grotesquely sewn up, and she was crying in a muffled fashion.

"Holy shit!" Andi screamed. "Guards! Someone!"

In less than a minute, Sophie came running. "What's going on?" Andi pointed to the woman, who had now ran up to the bar and was screaming as loud as she could with her mouth in the condition it was in. Sophie gasped in horror. "Oh my god!"

"Okay, Soph, one of us has to keep watch while the other treats her," Andi told her, taking deep breaths - as was Sophie.

Sophie nodded. "Okay, I can do it. Make sure she doesn't run when we open it," She whispered to Andi, before walking slowly towards the woman, who was sobbing uncontrollably. "Hello, Lilly Anne, I'm Sophie. I'm here to help you." She gestured to the lock. "I'm going to put in the password and come in there with you to fix you up. Don't run."

Sophie put in the password slowly, not noticing Lilly Anne staring at her hands as she did so. It unlocked quickly and, almost immediately, Lilly Anne ripped the stitches out of her lips, startling Sophie and Andi. Her lips didn't look much different from the grotesque manner they were in with the stitches in, but that had to have been extremely painful.

"Why did you do that?" Sophie asked, walking towards her with her hand out to touch her face gently to look her over.

Lilly Anne grabbed her wrist and quickly grabbed her by the head, slamming it into her knee and knocking Sophie out cold. Andi ran over quickly to close the lock but Lilly Anne smirked at her. Suddenly, Andi felt an intense pain in her head - so painful that she almost passed out immediately from the pain. Then, as suddenly as it came, it stopped.

Taking deep breaths, she looked up at Lilly Anne, who seemed angry. "It doesn't fucking work," She cursed to herself, before walking past Andi to let the other criminals out.

"You're not that good with your power," Andi gasped out, rolling onto her stomach and looking up at her through her pain. "If you were, I'd be dead right now."

Lilly Anne shrugged, putting the password into every cell, unlocking them all and letting the criminals loose. "Does it matter? You can't come after me like that, and your friend isn't getting up anytime soon," Sophie was on the floor of the cell, her hair covering her face, and she wasn't moving.

Andi glared up at her. "You won't get away with this, you know. It won't work."

She smirked. "I already have." Lilly Anne walked over to her. "By the way, my name isn't Lilly Anne." She kicked her hard in the face, and Andi slipped into unconsciousness.

\- PRER -

Sera was sitting in the front of the ambulance, waiting for her partner to finish up. They were called for a child's bump to the head, but all he needed was a few stitches and for them to be on their way.

Her partner, Ross, was busy flirting with the child's single mother, who was equally as interested in him as he was in her. Sera had saw it and rolled her eyes, as Ross did this all too often. Anytime he found out a woman was single, he was right on top of it. It always drove her crazy.

No matter what was going on, he always had time to flirt and date. She didn't even have time for a relationship for herself, but he always made time. Considering his job and everything, Sera truly wondered how he always did it.

Then again, she worked not only as a paramedic with him, but also as an intern with Masters and the rangers. She really didn't have much time to herself, but that wasn't always a bad thing. Sometimes she preferred to be working to occupy the time.

Truth be told, Sera didn't really know what she would do if she didn't have her jobs. She didn't have much or a social life outside of the people she worked with, and she really didn't have a hobby at this point.

Ross climbed into the ambulance and held up a piece of paper for her to see. "Got her number, and we already planned a date for Saturday night."

Sera rolled her eyes at him. "You literally just met her, and now you're going out with her?"

"Hey, I saved her kid's life," Ross crossed his arms.

Sera almost laughed. "No, you didn't. He could've survived just fine without our help, and, besides, you don't like kids."

"So?"

"So," Sera gave him a look. "Why are you going out with a mom? Nothing is going to come from it."

"Is something supposed to?" Ross asked her, chuckling. "It's just a date. She's hot."

Sera scoffed. "That is so messed up, Ross," She shook her head. "I don't know how you can do that to somebody. Not everybody is a plaything." She began to drive, and he was silent. As she drove, she sighed. "Look, I think you should call her and end it now, or really go for it."

Ross looked down. "I'm not going to do that. Sera, I'm just passing time, honestly. I just haven't found my right person yet, and I like going out with different people all the time. You wouldn't understand."

"You're right - I don't understand. Why don't you go for a person you really want instead of random people you don't even know? I mean, it's really messed up to go after people, especially ones that could potentially really like you, just to 'pass the time.'"

Sera took her eyes off the road for a moment to see his reaction, when he exclaimed, "Stop!"

\- PRER -

"I can't believe this," Tori shook her head as she held onto the handcuffs she put on Joey to bring him to Masters. "We're seriously going to wait here to see if she comes out ready for questioning? I'm the leader, you know." She pointed out. "We need to get back to the base and bring him into Masters, before telling him what happened so he gives us our next assignments."

Sean scoffed. "Tori, I think you're having an off-day," He muttered under his breath, though she still heard him and elbowed him in the ribs.

"Why aren't you getting your bruises checked out and what not?" Tori asked him irritatedly. "I mean, you need to make sure you're gonna be okay, and get a new bulletproof vest."

"I will," Sean said. "As soon as we hear something."

Taz nodded. "Besides, Tori, you don't understand. There's a reason we can't tell Masters."

"And why is that?" A voice came from behind them, only to reveal Masters standing behind them in the waiting room. "While Sera was waiting for Ross, yet again, she told me you three were over here." He looked past Taz and Sean to see Tori and Joey. "Why are you holding my fire chief hostage, Victoria?"

Tori gestured to the gun she had put in her pants to hold. "He shot our suspect."

Sean cleared his throat. "After she shot at me and attacked us," He gestured to the bullet hole in his uniform. "We would've died if he didn't step in."

"Is that so?" Masters stepped forward to look Joey over.

"Sir, I am so sorry if I did anything to make you upset," Joey pleaded with him. "I really wasn't thinking - I just saw them in danger and had to act."

"Upset me?" Masters almost laughed, removing his handcuffs. "Actually, I'd like to offer you a promotion," Masters reached into his pocket, and pulled out a morpher similar to the chief rangers. "I've been holding this with me for the right time and right person, and I'd love to offer it to you. Will you join our team?"

Sean and Taz smiled, while Tori was in shock. Joey was also in shock, but nodded eagerly and placed the morpher firmly on his wrist. "Thank you so much, sir. I won't let you down."

"Please, call me Masters." He said. "I prefer it from my rangers."

Joey nodded again. "Alright, Masters."

Masters turned to the others, looking them up and down. "Before you three go off to get medical attention, which you need, does anyone want to tell me why you went off to investigate a crime you had no right to investigate without my permission?"

Tori nodded, turning on Taz and Sean. "I told them we should come to you before anything."

The two were quiet. "Well, I'm glad you did, despite your faults. If you didn't, I wouldn't have found my yellow ranger, and I wouldn't have confirmed something I knew. I've been talk to Lia and..."

He was cut off when a doctor, covered in blood and surgical covers, came out of the OR with a dejected look on his face. "Unfortunately, rangers, we have lost Lilly Anne. She flat-lined while we were operating, and we were unable to revive her."

"Wait, that's Lara Letford." Tori said, still shaken up by the day so far. Usually she was very on top of her game, so this off-day was very rattling to her. "Lilly Anne is locked up at ER, awaiting transfer to prison."

The doctor gave her a strange look. "No, that was definitely Lilly Anne. I know her because she came in last week after a headache of sorts almost killed her. I'd say some sort of psonic blast, but I know one thing for sure. That's not Lara Letford."

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Emergency Responders:** The lieutenant rangers are introduced, and they are asked by Lia to become rangers and help solve the crime.

 **Next chapter title:** Lieutenants Part I

 **So, I know there are a lot of things left open, and a lot of plot holes, but they will all be filled in in the next two-parter. The day the chiefs experienced will be somewhat told through the lieutenant's perspective, but, since you haven't seen them yet, there won't be a lot (if any) copying of scenes from this chapter to the next.**

 **Anyways, I hope you guys liked this chapter, and I'm excited to get to work on the lieutenants next - so everyone who hasn't seen their character yet, will definitely see them in the next one (unless they don't come in until later)!**

 **Feel free to let me know what you thought in the reviews! See you soon guys!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	4. Ep 3: Lieutenants Part I

**Hey guys, I'm glad that you all are liking this so far! I'm really enjoying writing it! This chapter will start when Tori and Sean caught Mark (the man who tried to steal the car in the beginning).**

 **Oh, and after this I will be back on my other stories as well, which means updates won't be as frequent as they are now. I'm already part way into the next chapter for Guardians of the Galaxy, and then I'll be onto Animal Guardians before this one again. But, that'll be definitely after this multi-parter, so don't worry about being left on cliffhangers for too long!**

 **Autumn is portrayed by Leighton Meester**

 **Jason is portrayed by David Henrie**

 **Nikki is portrayed by Anna Kendrick**

 **Owen is portrayed by Nicholas Hoult**

 **Emma is portrayed by Tara Moss**

 **Oh, and because I forgot this in the last chapter; Ross was portrayed by Ben Affleck**

* * *

Two women sat in the front seat of an ambulance, parked outside of a grocery store, waiting for any calls. While they waited, one of them had brought their own holographic viewing screen, and the two were watching a movie.

"I'm really enjoying this, Autumn." The older of the two said. This woman was around 35, and had long blond hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. "I mean, since we're both so busy we can't really go out on dates, so this is perfect." She kissed her on the cheek.

Autumn smiled back at her. "I know. I'm glad we thought of this, Emma." Autumn was around 24 with light brown hair, dark brown eyes, and pale skin. She, like Emma, wore a paramedic uniform as they were both on the job.

Suddenly, their pagers beeped. Emma sighed and turned the movie off as the two checked out their CAD, or computer aided dispatch, to get the address. "1st and Fall Parkway," Autumn told Emma as she put the keys in the ignition and started up the ambulance.

Autumn turned on the sirens as the two sped off. "I wonder what it is," Autumn said.

"Well, you're the charge so I hope its something you can handle," Emma told her.

"I can handle it, for sure," Autumn smirked. "I might not deal with most pressures well, but I'm great at my job and it's always something I've been able to do."

Emma nodded as they neared. "I'm glad about that. You wouldn't have this job if not," She smiled to herself. "We wouldn't have met if that was the case."

Autumn chuckled lightly. "That's true."

Emma parked next to the scene, and hissed. "Car accident?"

"No," Autumn shook her head, seeing the two rangers next to the car as a police car also pulled up. She hopped out of the ambulance and ran around to them as Emma went to go get the medical bag. "Hi, I'm Autumn," She said to the red ranger, who was putting the man in her custody in the back of a police car. "I'm a paramedic. What's going on here?"

The red ranger gestured to the car. "You can see the car right?" She asked, crossing her arms. "My partner pulled the woman from the wreck, you should talk to him."

"What about the man in the police vehicle?" Emma asked, coming up behind Autumn and handing her the bag.

The red ranger let out an exasperated sigh, obviously impatient with the two. "We have our own medic at ER. We'll be fine." She walked back over to her bike and sat on it as the two paramedics walked over to the blue ranger.

"So," Autumn started with an unfazed attitude. "What happened here?"

"There was a man holding a gun to her head in the car while she drove. He didn't shoot her, but she crashed the car and claims her head hurts. I put her down and told her to lay flat in case of a spinal injury," He explained.

Autumn nodded and knelt down beside the woman, who's eyes were closed. "Excuse me, ma'am, can you hear me?" Autumn asked, putting a light hand on her shoulder. The woman didn't respond. Autumn put her head next to her chest to listen to breathing, and nodded when her breathing sounded at least somewhat normal. She then checked for a pulse, and found it beating erratically. "Her heart's beating pretty fast," She said, looking up at Emma. "But, her breathing sounds normal. This could be a stress reaction."

"Should I get the stretcher?" Emma asked.

"Get a neck support. We have to align her body first." Autumn told her. As Emma went to get that, Autumn looked up at the blue ranger. "She wasn't always unconscious?"

"No," He shook his head. "Just now."

Autumn nodded. "Alright, well, thank for your work Mr..."

"Francis; Sean Francis." The blue ranger told her.

"Mr. Francis. We can take it from here," Autumn told him as set set the brace on her neck and Emma pulled the stretcher over. "I'm guessing we'll see you at the hospital for questioning?"

Sean chuckled. "Actually, we don't usually take care of these kinds of crimes. I mean, we always question the perp, but we usually send someone else out to question the witness."

Autumn nodded. "Well, then, I'll be seeing he or she there."

 **\- Cue Opening -**

Andi made her way over to the lieutenant forensics lab, looking for one of the scientists, when she found exactly who she was looking for writing down his findings on a clipboard. This young man had brown hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. He wore a white lap coat over a white button down shirt, khaki pants, and nice brown shoes.

"Hey, Jason, what are doing?" Andi asked.

Jason gestured to the older man on the table, not looking up at her. "The chiefs just left, so this body was transferred over here by Sera to be vetted one last time. I know it's usually the other way around, but she said that Taz didn't fully figure out what happened to him. I never get to do this, so its exciting."

Andi looked at the body a bit. "It doesn't look like there's anything significant that happened to him to cause this."

"You wouldn't think so," Jason nodded. "According to Taz, he's brain dead. It's a bit strange, considering Sera said he wasn't when they picked him up."

"That's crazy," Andi muttered, noticing Jason's refusal to look up at her. "Hey, Jason?"

Jason looked slightly up at her. "Yeah?" He asked.

"Why won't you look at me? It's kinda weird, especially since we've worked together for quite a while." Andi crossed her arms.

He chuckled awkwardly. "I'm not trying not to look at you," He scoffed. "I just.. I'm working, you know?"

Andi rolled her eyes. "Okay," She said, clearly not buying that story. "So, you are aware that you and Nikki are going down to the hospital, right?"

Jason suddenly looked up at her, wide eyed. "Wait, what? No, no, no, no - I work in a lab, not at a hospital. Besides, why do _I_ have to go? I mean, Nikki's a detective, so it makes sense, but I.. I work in forensics. You know, with _dead_ people? And, with _Nikki_? She's just... That just..." He spoke almost frantically.

"Jason, calm down," Andi told him, taking a deep breath with him. "Look, we need you to go down there with her because we have no other detectives on duty, and the chiefs tell us nothing. Sera literally caught me and told me to send someone to the hospital. No explanation at all, besides that a paramedic would be waiting for you." Andi rolled her eyes. "They only do that because they don't want us moving in and taking their place or anything. I honestly don't even know why they think that."

"You mean we could never help people like they do?" Jason asked, calmed down and a bit taken back by her statement.

Andi shrugged. "Well, it's not like they're looking to add more rangers. I mean, yeah, we do have an extra base just in case, but I doubt that'll happen. The chiefs are too prideful for that. I'm almost positive Masters tells them not to tell us anything." She then frowned. "Wait a minute, why wouldn't you want to go with Nikki? I thought you liked Nikki."

"Yeah, that's the problem," He ducked his 5'11 frame down a bit as he saw Nikki walk by, dancing a bit with headphones in her ears. "Someone like that would never like someone like me."

"Well, you could always go for a guy." Andi pointed out, making Jason give her a look. "Hey, just because you don't flaunt it doesn't mean nobody knows. Besides, there are probably guys around here that would love to hang out with you, or more," She smirked.

Jason scoffed. "Like who?"

Andi gestured around, though it was obvious she didn't know. "Like, anybody. You never know, Jason, okay? Somebody around here has to like you, or will like you. You just don't out yourself out there that much." Andi walked around the table and began pushing Jason out. "Go change and go get Nikki to go to the hospital. Find out what's going on."

"I feel like the only reason I'm going is because you want me to hang out with Nikki," Jason crossed his arms, trying to look angry to get out of going.

Andi rolled her eyes at his attempt. "So what? Besides, you need more field experience, and what better way to get that than with a detective?"

"Only this one time," Jason sighed, after a moment of silence. "I don't like doing things like this."

\- PRER -

Meanwhile, a young woman was in the gym, or the training room, running on the treadmill with headphones in her ears. She was listening to Ldn by Lily Allen and was singing along to it. This young woman had long dark auburn hair, blue eyes, pale skin, and was about 5'2. She was wearing yellow shorts, white tank top, black converse and a yellow zip-up jacket. Her other clothes were hung up in her locker not too far away.

"Sun is in the sky oh why oh why?  
Would I wanna be anywhere else  
Sun is in the sky oh why oh why?  
Would I wanna be anywhere else," She sung loudly.

She looked at herself in the mirror and was startled to see Jason standing behind her. He was now dressed in his usual attire, consisting of a blue and black striped short sleeve shirt, black zip up hoodie over the top, black jeans, and blue and black sneakers. She nearly tripped and stopped the treadmill, pulling her headphones out. "Hey, Jason, what's up?"

"Hey, Nikki. S.. sorry, I didn't mean to make you.. umm.. trip. Did I scare you?" He chuckled nervously.

Nikki smiled and gathered her phone and water bottle up. "No, I'm okay. It's fine!" She laughed. "Was I singing too loud?"

Jason shook his head. "No! No, of course not. Even if you were, no one would mind - you're a really great singer. I mean, you know.." He sighed. "Umm.. Andi needs us to go talk to someone at the hospital."

Nikki frowned as she walked over to a bench and wrapped a towel around her neck, before stretching out. "I thought the chiefs usually took care of.. everything. Not that I don't wanna go, though. I can get dressed."

He opened his mouth to respond to her, but Nikki had already run over to the locker, grabbed her clothes, and then went into the bathroom to change. Jason waited awkwardly for her to come back. Nikki came out a few minutes later, wearing her uniform, consisting of black denim skinny jeans, a black-and-yellow flannel shirt with a black tank top on underneath, and brown ankle lace-up boots. She looked very nice, and Jason couldn't help but stare as she put her towel and bottle in her locker.

When she was done, she walked over to him. "Shall we?" She asked, full of energy.

"Yeah," Jason nodded. "Yes, yeah. I am ready to go," He said, trying to be nonchalant.

"Great! Let's go," Nikki grabbed his arm and dragged him behind her.

\- PRER -

Autumn waited outside of the room where the young woman was, both of them waiting for the detectives Sean said would come over. Autumn leaned against the wall, feeling pretty bored, actually. She had been waiting for a few hours, at least, and there was nothing to do. Emma, her very tall girlfriend, had left to continue working while Autumn had to wait to talk to the detectives.

Soon, she heard the elevator _ding_ and looked up to see two people walking towards her, one man and one woman. They approached her. "Hi, I'm detective Nicole Keegan and this is forensics specialist Jason Lee Johston."

Autumn shook her hand, finding Nicole looking her over and staring at her a bit. "I'm Autumn DeWitt, paramedic." She also shook Jason's hand. "I don't think we need a forensics specialist on this one, though. Our victim is still alive. I mean, she has a mild concussion and potential PTSD, but besides that she's alright."

Nicole, noticing that Jason was trying to find the words to respond, spoke up for him. "He's coming along to learn a few things for the lieutenant squad." She looked in the window, past Autumn. "What do we have here, anyways?" She asked, a bit louder than needed.

"Well," Autumn turned to gestured to the young woman. "This is Zoey Bilson," She said. "She was involved in a car accident after having a gun pressed to her head by a man that the power rangers took away." She reported as Nicole wrote that down. "So, you guys are the next power rangers, huh? The lieutenants?"

"Actually, Nikki and I are..." Jason tried to speak up, when Nikki interrupted him.

"We're working on it," Nikki smiled. "Hopefully, you know? It's really a matter of if the chiefs need it or not. They tend to take all of our cases." She looked Autumn over once more. "You know, you should go by ER and talk to one of our interns, Andi or Sophie. You seem pretty good at your job, and we need more candidates for the team than we have."

Autumn chuckled. "Really? But, you don't even know me."

Nikki smirked. "I can just tell. You'd be great."

Jason looked at the two talking, and felt a bit of jealousy rise up in him, though he had no idea why. From his knowledge, Nikki was straight, and he was probably overthinking it anyways.

"So, maybe we should go in and talk to Zoe," He nudged Nikki lightly, getting her attention.

Nikki nodded. "Oh yeah, we should," She said, but turned back to Autumn first. She handed her a business card, which had an address on it. "Since you're probably off now, you should go over there. The sooner the better, you know?"

"Yeah, alright," Autumn smiled. "Thank you,"

As she left, Nikki called out, "No problem!" To her, startling some other people in the hallway. She chuckled nervously. "Sorry," She said, quieter as she dragged Jason in the room with her. She smiled at Zoey. "Hello, Zoey, I'm detective Nicole Keegan," She shook the young woman's hand. "This is Jason Johston. We're here to ask you some questions - is that alright?"

Zoey nodded. "Okay, but I don't really know anything important. That man didn't tell me anything, really. He just said he wanted me to drive."

"Drive where?" Nikki asked, writing it down in her notepad.

"To the pier," Zoey responded, sitting up a bit in her bed. "He didn't say why, just that he would.. kill me if I stopped."

Nikki nodded. "But, he didn't give you any other information?" Zoey shook her head. "Alright, did he have anything with him besides the gun? Like, do you think he might've robbed a store or something?"

"No, actually." Zoey frowned. "He just.. told me to drive. But, when he got in, I saw a woman watching us! She had tan skin, black hair - I couldn't really see her eyes but I think they were green."

Jason frowned also, tapping Nikki lightly on the shoulder. "Nikki, I think she's talking about Lara Letford. She's been avoiding police for a while, and I've been seeing her poster everywhere in ER."

Nikki thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, I know about her. I tried getting on the case, but the chiefs wouldn't let me." They turned back to Zoey. "I think that'll be all for now. We'll get back to you if we have anymore questions."

\- PRER -

Autumn had driven to ER in her car, and had also changed on the way there. She wore a dark red peplum top that ties at the top, black leggings, black vans. She parked her car in the nearby parking garage and walked over to the large building. The first open door she saw was in a firehouse - one that looked practically abandoned. She walked cautiously inside.

"Hello?" She asked, looking around the dark garage area. She saw a firetruck, the fireman gear of one person, and a pole that came down from the top floor. There were also stairs to get up there. "Is anyone here?" She called out.

She was startled when she heard barking, and looked over to see a dalmatian running down the stairs. The dog moved a bit slower than she expected, but it ran up to her, sniffing her and seeming a bit distrustful. "Hello," Autumn smiled, kneeling to the dog and petting it's head. "Who are you? Where's your owner?"

Suddenly, she heard someone land from the pole behind her. She stood up and looked over to see a young man standing there with his arms crossed. He was a tall young man, standing at about 6'3, with black hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. He wore a black jacket over a long sleeved dark green shirt, black jeans, and dark brown work boots.

"Who are you, and why are you in my place? Also, why are you petting my dog?" He asked, turning on the lights and walking towards her. He looked her up and down, surprised at her presence.

Autumn chuckled nervously. "I'm sorry, I was looking for.. a place in this giant building. I'm Autumn," She held her hand out to him, and he shook her hand.

"Owen Lalley," He responded. "That's my dog, Buster. Where are you going?"

She gestured around. "I have no idea actually. This detective, Nicole Keegan, told me I should talk to the interns? Andi or Sophie?"

Owen made a face and nodded. "The lieutenant interns, I know them. I guess Nikki's trying to recruit everybody she can find to become a ranger, then." He laughed. "She really wants to show up the chiefs. They tend to take any and all cases of anyone lower level than them - which is everyone."

Autumn frowned. "Really? That's not cool."

"Yeah. If you're wondering why I'm the only fireman here, that's why. Everybody trains to be like the chiefs, or to be with them. There's only three that I know of, and only one I've actually met; Victoria. To me, she's kind of like a queen bee. Always on top. She knows where she stands, and makes sure everyone else knows it too." Owen told her. "But, since I'm a nice guy, and since we don't have to see them, I'll show you the way to the base."

"Thank you," Autumn smiled as the two began to walk, after Owen put Buster back upstairs. "I would never find otherwise."

Owen nodded. "No problem..." He trailed off as the two were passing by the holding cells. "Okay, so we found them faster than I thought we would." The two ran down the hall to the two fallen interns. Owen ran to Sophie while Autumn ran to Andi. "Soph, can you hear me?" Owen called to her, tapping on her face lightly after turning her over. "Come on, Soph, please!" Sophie didn't move.

Autumn tapped on Andi's face after putting her straight to make sure her neck wasn't injured. "Hey, can you hear me?" She asked. When Andi didn't respond, Autumn turned to Owen, who seemed more than a bit startled at this. "Owen, we have to get them to the hospital. They need medical attention."

As she was about to dial Emma's number, she was shocked to see Emma already calling her. "Hello?" She asked.

 _"Autumn, Sera just hit a few criminals in the ambulance on her way to the hospital. She's bringing them in now, but she said they escaped and everyone needs to keep a look out. Where have you been?!"_ Emma asked.

Autumn looked up at the open holding cells and swallowed the lump in her throat. "She hit a few criminals in the ambulance?" She asked aloud, getting Owen's attention as he also looked up at the cells. "Oh my god. Hey, tell Sera to let Ross handle the criminals and pick her up. Tell her to lead you into to ER near the holding cells, and that Sophie and Andi are injured, okay? I have to go, but please get that done quickly. We have to leave, but we'll get someone to watch them in the meantime."

 _"Wait, Autumn, what's..."_ Autumn cut Emma off by hanging up and running over to Sophie after making sure Andi was straightened up, and did the same to Sophie.

"I'm a paramedic," She explained to Owen when he gave her a look. "Look, we have to go,"

Owen looked at her like she was crazy. "No, we can't leave. They're hurt!"

Autumn nodded. "I know, but we have to go find those criminals. Everyone else is busy, and we're the only ones that know about this."

Owen stared at her for a moment, and looked between Sophie and her, before nodded. "Okay, let's go."

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Emergency Responders:** Autumn and Owen go to track down the criminals, when word gets to Nikki and Jason who join them when confronting Lara Letford. Meanwhile, after Lia and Masters find out what happened, they put their plan into motion, much to the chief's chagrin.

 **Next chapter title:** Lieutenants Part II

 **Everything should be wrapped up in the next chapter! Also, I appreciate all of your reviews and I can't wait to read them on this chapter! Glad you guys are enjoying it so far!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	5. Ep 4: Lieutenants Part II

**I'm glad all of you are liking it; here's where this all comes together! If you still don't get it at the end, there will be an explanation since this could be a bit confusing.**

* * *

 **Last time on Power Rangers: Emergency Responders**

As she was about to dial Emma's number, she was shocked to see Emma already calling her. "Hello?" She asked.

 _"Autumn, Sera just hit a few criminals in the ambulance on her way to the hospital. She's bringing them in now, but she said they escaped and everyone needs to keep a look out. Where have you been?!"_ Emma asked.

Autumn looked up at the open holding cells and swallowed the lump in her throat. "She hit a few criminals in the ambulance?" She asked aloud, getting Owen's attention as he also looked up at the cells. "Oh my god. Hey, tell Sera to let Ross handle the criminals and pick her up. Tell her to lead you into to ER near the holding cells, and that Sophie and Andi are injured, okay? I have to go, but please get that done quickly. We have to leave, but we'll get someone to watch them in the meantime."

 _"Wait, Autumn, what's..."_ Autumn cut Emma off by hanging up and running over to Sophie after making sure Andi was straightened up, and did the same to Sophie.

"I'm a paramedic," She explained to Owen when he gave her a look. "Look, we have to go,"

Owen looked at her like she was crazy. "No, we can't leave. They're hurt!"

Autumn nodded. "I know, but we have to go find those criminals. Everyone else is busy, and we're the only ones that know about this."

Owen stared at her for a moment, and looked between Sophie and her, before nodded. "Okay, let's go."

 **Now**

Autumn and Owen walked down the streets, Owen frowning while Autumn was determined to find the criminals. "Okay, so what exactly are we doing? I mean, we don't know what these guys look like or who they are. How do you expect us to find them?"

"I'm not sure," Autumn admitted. "We'll probably just know when we see them. I mean, how hard can it be?"

Owen shrugged. "Good point. I mean, they'll probably be doing some kind of criminal activity, right?"

Autumn nodded. "Right. What is the criminal activity, though?" She asked. "That's what we need to ask ourselves."

He frowned. "But, we don't know anything about these people, so how are we going to know what they do?"

"Sometimes, you just have to wing it," Autumn replied, trying to act confident in what they were doing. "Hopefully we can get Nikki or Jason to join us - both would be best. I mean, Nikki's a detective, so she'd probably be good with this kind of stuff, right?"

Owen nodded. "Definitely. She's one of the best."

Autumn looked up at him. "If she's one of the best, why isn't she on the chief squad? I mean, aren't they the best?"

"Long story, actually," Owen muttered. "Let's just say, she went up against someone and didn't get it. You see, I said Nikki was one of the best, but she's _the_ best. I mean, I think she is, but other people don't. She has a sore history with the chiefs for that reason. I mean, she's a sweet person and everything, don't get me wrong on that, but when she gets angry enough.. it's bad,"

She gave a laugh. "I get that, but I usually just let it go, you know?"

"Yeah, but Nikki doesn't let things like that go," Owen sighed. "It's kind of complicated. You'd have to talk to her about it if you wanted to know the whole story." He shook his head. "Okay, we're getting off topic. We have to find all of these criminals before they do any damage. You said Sera hit some in her ambulance on accident, right?" Autumn nodded. "Okay, so two or three are caught. We know that."

"That's good," Autumn said. "Let's getting looking."

"You don't have to look far," A voice came from beside them.

 **\- Cue Opening -**

Nikki and Jason were walking down the hall to get to the elevator when they saw Sera running up to them. "Guys, there's a major problem!" She exclaimed, before she gasped. "Wait, I'm not supposed to tell you guys! Damn it!" She shook her head. "Where are the chiefs?"

"We don't know," Nikki shrugged. "I haven't seen them all day." Sera tried to leave, but Nikki caught her arm. "Wait, what's going on?"

Sera pulled her arm out of her grasp. "You don't understand, I can't tell you," She said. "I have a duty to the chiefs, and I can't help you guys try to overtake them."

Nikki rolled her eyes. "If only," She muttered. "You know, you running around and looking for them is totally gonna help you out," She said sarcastically. "Why don't you just spill it? Someone has to help out, right?"

"Nicole, all you two want to do is overtake them, and I can't let you do that." Sera said, putting her foot down.

"That's not the way it is," Nikki said, crossing her arms firmly. "I may be upset with them, and I may want to be a ranger, but that doesn't mean I don't respect their position and it also doesn't mean that I think I deserve to be a ranger."

"Well, that also doesn't mean you won't try," Sera muttered.

Nikki scoffed. "Who doesn't try to accomplish their dreams?" She asked. "But that's not the point. The longer you wait to tell somebody, the worse it'll be for the people of Waverly."

As Sera and Nikki argued, Jason saw Lia walk by rather quickly, changed into a professional white dress, tan one-buttoned blazer, white heels, which was her uniform. Due to their arguing, neither of the two noticed, but Jason broke away and followed her down a quiet hallway.

She stopped and sighed. "Jason, I know you're following me," She turned around, looking him over. "What are you doing here, anyways?"

He chuckled, trying to be nonchalant. "Well, you know.. Nikki and I had to talk to someone about a crime," He smiled awkwardly, still trying to act casual. "Wha.. what about you?"

Lia sighed. "Well, I'm here to talk to Masters, actually. There's a prob..." She trailed off, looking him over. "Hold on, both you and Nikki are here?"

"Yeah," He nodded. "Yes, we are. What uhh.. why?"

"That's perfect!" Lia grabbed his arm and began pulling him back towards Nikki. "Come on!"

\- PRER -

Autumn and Owen jumped away when a man came out of the alleyway, ducking down as he looked around suspiciously. He gestured for them to come with him, and, after a moment of hesitation, the two followed him cautiously.

"Who are you?" Autumn asked, standing a bit behind Owen, who was blocking her slightly in case something happened.

The man looked the two over. "Are you two coming from ER? You are, right?"

Owen nodded. "Yeah, why? Who are you, and what do you want?"

He sighed in almost relief. "The name is Mark - I'm one of the criminals that escaped."

Autumn and Owen exchanged looks of confusion, before turning back to Mark. "And what made you think it would be a good idea to tell us that? We could arrest you right now." Autumn told him.

"Don't you think I know that?" Mark scoffed. "I'm trying to help you two out. I know where Lara went!"

Owen frowned, looking down in though. "Lara? You mean, Lara Letford?" He shook his head, "No, no, no. Lara Letford was never captured. That's how everyone knows about her."

Mark sighed. "Boy, you're almost as clueless as those damn power rangers," He rolled his eyes. "That chick, Lilly Anne? That's not Lilly Anne. She's Lara! You see, here's how it went - Lara and her partner need deflections to get away with their crimes. Earlier today, I was the distraction because the cops were onto them, so I got myself arrested to let them run. Somehow, Lara's partner sneaked her into the prison cell and got Lilly Anne out. Since they look so alike, it worked perfectly. Then..."

"Wait a minute," Autumn stepped out from behind Owen. "You're telling me that Lara and her partner actually took the time to figure out this plan with Lilly Anne, who looks just like Lara, so that they could escape? But, if Lara was in a cell, how would she have escaped?"

"I was getting to that," Mark growled. "After her partner fled as per Lara's request, Lara developed a sick plan to have a medical emergency and make the interns, who are both paramedics, help her. When the cell was open, she attacked them and let the rest of us out. As far as I've heard Steven Jefferies and Carson Vido were taken into custody already, but George Tucker is still on the loose, and so is Lara."

"Why are you helping us?" Autumn asked, looking him over. "I don't understand."

Mark shrugged. "I guess it's because I never wanted this. If I didn't do what I did, Lara would've killed me, but it doesn't matter because jail is going to be worse than that. I'm going back to ER to turn myself in, but I suggest you find Lara. It's important."

Owen was ready to leave, but Autumn stopped him for a moment. "Mark," She called to him as he was leaving. "If you're telling the truth, it'll set you free. Just remember that."

Autumn gave him a small smile before the two ran out of the alley in search of Lara. Mark looked down at the ground, before back at where they had left. He looked up then and was trying to leave the alley when he heard another voice. He looked back and saw two women standing there. These women looked exactly like Tori and Autumn, standing side by side.

"Ladies," He looked them over, slightly shocked. "Wha.. how did you get here?"

\- PRER -

Lia and Jason had rounded the corner, finding Nikki and Sera still arguing, with Sera still refusing to give up the problem. Lia grabbed Nikki by the arm as well and gave Sera and small smile.

"Masters and the chiefs are already headed back to ER, if you need to talk to them." Lia told her, causing Jason to frown.

"But, Lia, weren't you here to..."

He was cut off when Lia stepped hard on his foot. "No, I was here to get you two. I've already talked to Masters. He left already, and I know the situation. I can handle these two."

Sera nodded. "Thanks, Lia." She looked awkwardly at Nikki and Jason. "See you guys later."

After she left, Lia pulled them to the side. "Okay, so I might've lied. The chiefs are downstairs in the emergency room getting checked out after their fight."

"Why did you that?" Nikki asked, frowning at her. "Lia, people could get hurt because of that."

Lia smirked. "Actually, they won't because you two are go save them. You know Masters is a friend of mine, but he's a dick and always gets things his way. It's time for the plan to be set in motion. I mean, there's no way he could deny it if you two help out."

"Okay, so I don't exactly know the whole story, but I do know that Sophie and Andi were attacked after trying to help a criminal named Lilly Anne Stewart. They were brought here by Sera to be examined, and she's bringing two other criminals, who also escaped, to ER right now, but word is that Lilly Anne is still out there and is dangerous. If you two bring her in, there's no way they won't let the lieutenant squad to be made." Lia explained.

Nikki was very excited for the opportunity, but Jason wasn't. "But, Lia, I.. I'm not a 'fighting' type," He shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I mean, that's not what I thought about when I was in the academy. I've been able to catch the bad guys."

Lia nodded. "I understand, but now you are. Nikki will be with you, and I'll give you this," She handed him a nightstick, handcuffs, and a taser. "These are my weapons, since I know you don't have any." She then looked to Nikki. "Show him the ropes, but make sure you do not have to use your gun unless it is _absolutely_ necessary. Only if it is your last resort option. Excessive force isn't necessary."

"I know," Nikki nodded. "It's the way I was taught in the academy. I would never break that rule."

Lia looked over to two, and gestured out. "I think you two should.. Jason, are you alright?" She noticed he had put the weapons at his belt and was clutching his head.

Nikki put a hand on his shoulder as he leaned against the wall. "It's a vision."

 _\- Vision -_

 _"I'm not Lilly Anne,"_

 _After kicking Andi down, the young woman unlocked the other cells, stopping one criminal in particular as he was leaving. "Mark Rene," She traced her hand on his chest and looked him over, smirking. "Where do you think you're going so fast?"_

 _Mark pushed her away. "I'm not here for your enjoyment, Lara," He growled. "I can't believe you did that." He shook his head disgustedly. "Look at your face,"_

 _Lara shrugged. "Oh well. Does it really matter? I got away with it, didn't I?"  
_

 _"You can't get away with everything forever," He crossed his arms, standing away from her. "And I'm no longer helping you. I didn't want to help you in the first place!"_

 _She looked bored with the conversation. "Does it look like I really care? I mean, you're damaged goods anyways after what I did to you." She chuckled with a smirk._

 _Mark gave her a confused and angry look. "What did you do to me?"_

 _"I don't know," She laughed. "Some people are just naturally crazy, I guess. After a while, no one will believe anything you say. You'll practically be talking to the birds, and even they won't believe what you say because they aren't real."_

 _He looked her over. "What are you talking about, you bitch?" He shook his head. "You know what, I don't even believe you. Nothing you say could be the truth." He began to leave._

 _"You could say that," Lara nodded, calling after him. "But, that could also be your warped sense of reality talking. You'll never be the same again. You might feel normal now, but, like I said, just wait. It'll all become clear soon."_

 _\- Vision -_

 _Walking down the street were Autumn and Owen. They were chatting it up with everything they knew about Lara Letford, not noticing someone watching them. The green eyes scanned them walking, and then rolled._

 _"They think they can find me?" Lara stepped out from the shadows slightly, looking them over. "Oh please. He's a reject, and she doesn't even work there. I guess I just have to take them out, don't I? If not, this whole thing will be completely dragged out for nothing."_

 _Autumn and Owen stopped, looking down an alleyway, before walking down there as if they found something interesting._

 _Lara ran across the street, ignoring the oncoming traffic, and watched them from the mouth of the alley. Down said alley, Autumn and Owen were talking to a homeless man, trying to see if he knew any information or had seen anyone suspicious._

 _When he shook his head, the two started to continue walking, but Autumn turned towards the street, causing Lara to duck suddenly. If anything, she had to catch them off guard at hopes of getting them the easiest. She didn't want to spend too much time on them, trying to get out of town as fast as she could to avoid the police, or worse, the chief rangers._

 _Lara heard footsteps approaching her and knew what she had to do. She then stepped out into the middle of the alley, revealing herself to them._

 _"So, who wants to play?" She smirked._

 _\- End of Visions -_

Jason suddenly took a deep breath and was relieved when the pain from the vision stopped. He looked up at the two, concern covering his features.

"They're in danger," He said suddenly. "That wasn't Lilly Anne - it was Lara Letford. We have to save them," He grabbed Nikki's arm. "Come on!"

Lia watched them leave, calling after them when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Masters, and smiled nervously. "Hey, Lincoln. What's going on?"

Masters gestured to them. "What are you doing, Lia?" He crossed his arms on her chest. "Where are they going?"

"Hey, you even said yourself at our lunch that I could send my people out if needed," Lia mocked his posture, crossing her arms as well. "I needed to. Your rangers are injured, and we need someone to go out and stop criminals from destroying this town."

He sighed. "Is this really happening?" Masters looked up at the ceiling.

"Oh please," Lia rolled her eyes. "You've had your rangers for months now. What's so bad about adding extra help?"

"I'll have you know that I've added a new ranger onto the team just an hour ago," Masters told her. "And there's nothing wrong with it but..."

"But it breaks your perfect plan to have one ranger team that's the best of the best and to never need help," Lia nodded. "I get it, but that's not the point, Masters. We need more than what we have, okay? I'm sorry, but it's the truth. Your three.. or four rangers can't stop all of the crime in the world. Please, let me do this."

Masters sighed, "Okay, do it."

\- PRER -

Autumn and Owen stared at the smirking young woman who stood at the mouth of the alleyway. From behind them, they could hear the homeless man running away in fear of this arrival.

"Lara Letford?" Autumn asked, looking her over.

Lara chuckled. "So, you _do_ know me. I'm surprised," She cracked her knuckles. "You know I could literally kill you without even trying, right? I mean, what's the use in looking for me?"

"Because we have to bring you in," Autumn crossed her arms. "And we will. Come with us quietly and no one has to get hurt."

"Where's the fun in that?" Lara scoffed, putting a hand to her head.

Owen and Autumn exchanged looks. "What is she doing?" Autumn asked.

He shrugged. "Maybe she's reading our minds or..." Suddenly, he was cut off by an intense pain in his head, falling to the ground clutching his head. Autumn immediately knelt down next to him, trying to figure out what was wrong when she looked up at Lara.

 _Psonic blast,_ Autumn thought. The strange thing was, however, that Lara seemed to be struggling with this attack just as hard as Owen was getting attacked. Quickly, Lara was practically knocked off of her feet, breathing hard.

Owen let go of a breath he didn't realize he was holding and looked up, seeing Lara on the ground, exhausted.

"You're not that good with your powers," Owen said, mimicking what Andi had said earlier.

Lara glared up at him. "It doesn't matter. I can still beat you two with my fists," She sneered as she pushed herself up, dusting her body off.

"Actually," A voice came from behind them. Autumn and Owen turned to see Nikki and Jason coming towards them. "It does matter," Jason said, holding his voice as tough as possible.

"Exactly," Nikki nodded. "You see, after Jason told me about the details, I got. You see, you can't use your powers that well, so you wouldn't have been able to kill that old man that he and Taz were looking at. A psonic blast would be the only reasonable explanation for what happened, and we had no idea that you, Lara Letford, could use that power. Now that we do, it makes sense that you could potentially hurt that man, but not kill him - if it wasn't for your partner." Nikki crossed her arms. "Who is it, Lara?"

Lara rolled her eyes. "Like I'd tell you," She scoffed. "What are you gonna do about it?" She looked past the four to see Lia coming out of the shadows with a wooden box. "Who is this?"

The four turned, and looked at Lia. "I saw you four on the monitors, and I thought it was time for this," She opened the box, revealing four morphers just like the chiefs. The four admired them for a moment, before taking them - Owen taking green, Nikki taking yellow, Jason taking blue, and Autumn taking red. Lia looked at Autumn. "You're the leader, and the red ranger. Today you have shown leadership skills in taking Owen to search for the criminals. You know what to do when needed," She turned to Jason. "You, Jason, are the second-in-command, and I know you'll wear it well."

Lia gestured to Lara. "Take her down, rangers."

The four turned back to her as Lia ran off to get back to the lieutenant base. "Ready?" Autumn asked, looking at the other three.

They nodded. "Ready."

"Emergency Responders," They pressed 9-1-1 into their morphers, "Get Into Action!"

Owen was suddenly surrounded by green, red, and blue dust. Similar to the chiefs, the red and blue represented the colors of the sirens on a police car. The dust traveled up from his feet, building his suit. It was a black suit with green boots, green gloves, and green chest armor that looked very sleek. His helmet was green and his belt was green until the buckle, which was silver. He had a small badge engraved into his upper left armor.

Nikki was surrounded by similar dust, only yellow instead of green. It formed her suit, which was almost identical to Owen's, though it was yellow, more form-fitting, and had a more feminine chest plate.

Jason and Autumn were up next, having all red and blue dust, as their colors were those, and having their respective suit colors on theirs.

"Red Lieutenant Ranger!" Autumn exclaimed.

"Blue Lieutenant Ranger!" Jason yelled.

"Yellow Lieutenant Ranger!" Nikki cried.

"Green Lieutenant Ranger!" Owen called.

They all stood in front of Lara, who stared at them in shock. Autumn took handcuffs off of her belt.

"So, you gonna come quietly this time?" She smirked.

Lara shook her head. "Never!"

The lieutenants ran forward as Lara did, meeting in the middle. Jason punched at Lara's face, though she ducked under it and punched him in the stomach. He coughed out, and grabbed her hand to avoid another attack, shoving her back.

Nikki came in, kicking at her feet, sweeping them out under her and knocking her to the ground. Lara growled, trying to grab at her feet, but Nikki stepped down hard on one of her hands and leaped back from another attempt.

Lara flipped back to her feet as Owen came in, punching at his face, though he caught her fist. He twisted it to the side, and caught her other hand as she tried again. Her eyes turned red as she used her power to put him to his knees before kicking him to the side.

She quickly did the same to Nikki and Jason as well, before turning on Autumn, who had yet to attack.

"You won't be able to handle this one, red," Lara smirked, trying to use it on her, to no avail. She frowned, trying again, but all she did was cause herself pain. "What the hell is going on? How can you resist that kind of an attack?"

"It's my healing," Autumn smirked. "It allows me to avoid certain types of damage."

Autumn ran forward, aiming a kick up at her chin and knocking the young woman to the ground. She turned her over on her back and held her down while she handcuffed her.

"You know, it's hard to be a criminal when all you use as defense is your power, which you're really not good at." Autumn pulled her up and held her wrists. "You're under arrest for the potential murder of an older man, as well as assault on officers."

The other rangers made their way over to her, and stood around her. "You're not getting out this time, Lara." Nikki said. "For sure."

\- PRER -

The chief rangers arrived back at the base, finding Sera pacing around and Masters sitting at the computer.

"What's going on?" Tori asked, looking them over. "Is there a mission for us or something? We can still go, we're not too banged up."

Sera looked guiltily at them. "Actually, someone else already handled it. Four somebody's, to be exact," She bit her lip. "Talk to Masters about it!" She said, going back to sit at the computer, making Masters give her a look.

"Great; thank you, Sera," Masters muttered, standing up and walking over to them. "Okay, look, guys, just you four aren't enough to do this job, so I've allowed Lia to finally appoint a lieutenant squad. They've caught Lara Letford, and they're bringing her in right now."

"What?!"

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Emergency Responders:** The chief rangers, angry with the new recruits, attempt to take over the investigation of Lara Letford, and try to capture George Tucker, the escaped criminal, while the lieutenants try to avoid the chiefs take over.

 **Next chapter title:** Rank

 **So, you may be a bit confused about everything with Lilly Anne and Lara. Basically, they looked similar, and had always been mistaken for each other, so Lara took that to her advantage and made a plan to escape, which obviously didn't work. As for her partner, you're gonna have to keep reading to find out who she is.**

 **And, what's wrong with that guy Mark? That will be a small backstory until it comes to a breaking point in the future, so don't write it off as nothing!**

 ***Oh, and I was wondering what kind of crimes you guys would like to see the rangers investigate. I usually don't do things like this, but, since there are so many different things they could do, I have a hard time deciding. If you want to see a certain crime, or something similar to that subject touched on, feel free to let me know in the reviews!***

 **Anyways, I'm really glad you guys are liking this so far, and I'll see you guys soon with the next chapter!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	6. Ep 5: Rank

**Hey guys, here's the next chapter! Sorry it took a while, but I've been working on my other story to get it finished so I can focus on other and new projects. Updates may be a bit crazy during that time, but I'll definitely be working to get them out whenever I can.**

 **Belladonna is portrayed by Jana Kramer**

 **Dan is portrayed by Damon Wayans Jr**

* * *

 **Last time on Power Rangers Emergency Responders**

The chief rangers arrived back at the base, finding Sera pacing around and Masters sitting at the computer.

"What's going on?" Tori asked, looking them over. "Is there a mission for us or something? We can still go, we're not too banged up."

Sera looked guiltily at them. "Actually, someone else already handled it. Four somebody's, to be exact," She bit her lip. "Talk to Masters about it!" She said, going back to sit at the computer, making Masters give her a look.

"Great; thank you, Sera," Masters muttered, standing up and walking over to them. "Okay, look, guys, just you four aren't enough to do this job, so I've allowed Lia to finally appoint a lieutenant squad. They've caught Lara Letford, and they're bringing her in right now."

"What?!"

 **Now**

"I can't believe this," Tori paced around as the four chief rangers had holed up in Taz's lab. "Masters let Lia make her own team." She shook her head, turning to the other rangers. "We're supposed to be the only team. We worked so hard to earn this, and now the lieutenant squad is going to win one battle and take over? I don't think so."

Joey gave her a look. "You know, I never took you for the jealous type."

Tori glared at him. "I'm not," She ground out. "I worked so hard to get this job - I worked my ass off doing the best I could do and I earned it! I had to solve more cases than anyone else, and I did it. They solve one case - our case - and they get our job? No, I refuse to except that. We're going to finish what we started."

Taz frowned. "But the case is already solved."

"Not completely," Tori said. "Lara has a partner, and there's still a criminal out on the loose. This is our case, and we have to solve it."

"Let's at least wait until tomorrow," Sean sighed, leaning back. Since they came back from the hospital, he had changed into his everyday outfit, consisting of a black t-shirt, black loose jeans, and blue converse. "I already got shot at today, and I don't think it would be good to go out without a new bulletproof vest, which I'm getting tomorrow."

Tori raised an eyebrow. "Who said you're gonna get shot at?" She asked. "But, it doesn't matter. You can stay back and question the two criminals Sera brought in. I'm gonna go see where Lara Letford has gotten off to."

"And what do we do?" Joey asked, standing up with Taz.

She shrugged. "You two can look into George's records to see if there's anything we can use to find him efficiently. The sooner we catch him, the better."

Sean and Joey left promptly, but Taz stopped Tori on her way out, grabbing her arm. "What's your problem with the lieutenants, anyways? This can't just be because they took our case or anything. I mean, you and I both know that we could always use extra help."

Tori pulled her arm out of Taz's grasp. "More people means more room for error. Error means cases go cold, and when cases go cold, people get hurt. I'm not letting people get hurt."

"But, Tori..."

"Leave it alone, Taz," Tori demanded coldly. "Seriously."

Before Taz could say anything else, Tori quickly left the room, ignoring anyone in her way.

 **\- Cue Opening -**

George walked down the street, looking around with a smirk on his face. He was free from prison the same day he got in. He was quite proud of himself for avoiding arrest so far, and escaping, despite the fact that Lara had released him.

The difference between himself and Lara was that she got caught, and he didn't.

He walked into the crime-ridden neighborhood where he knew Silas' place was. Once he got to the abandoned apartment building Silas lived in, he put his hand on the pocketknife resting in his pants pocket, and entered carefully.

George got up to the top fairly easily, which surprised him. When he got to the top, he was even more surprised to find Silas waiting for him.

Silas shook his head at him. "George, you can take your hand away from that knife in your pocket; it's rude to try and attack someone in their own home."

"I wasn't going to," George rolled his eyes. "It was for protection in case of your men,"

"Of course it was," Silas smirked. "So, how did you get out, exactly? It was Lara, wasn't it?"

"Yes," He nodded. "But she was captured by the rangers."

Silas' face changed to a surprised look. "Did she really?"

"Of course she did," A new, female voice said. A young woman with tanned skin, brown hair, and light brown eyes stepped out of the darkness. Besides the hair and eye color differences, she looked just like a slightly older version or Lara. She wore a tight, black leather body suit with tall, high-heeled boots. "Not that I wanted her to, but I did expect it."

George looked her up and down. "Belladonna Letford? I haven't seen you in years."

Belladonna smirked. "Obviously not. I've been in a bit of hiding; letting Lara get more of the attention."

"You purposefully got your sister caught?" George asked, raising an eyebrow.

She shook her head. "Not at all, but I did let her take all of the credit for crimes I committed." Belladonna smirked. "Hey, I don't necessarily feel like getting caught, but you might."

George chuckled. "And, why would I want that?"

"Because, if you don't attempt to overtake the rangers to get my sister back," Belladonna moved faster than he could see and pinned him to the wall very quickly. "I'll kill you, and we both know that I have more than enough power to do it."

George tried, and failed, to shoved Belladonna off of him. "I'll see you coming."

Belladonna almost laughed. "Oh please. Your powers are about as useless as you, but I have a feeling you still might be able to put up a fight against the rangers. I guess we'll see, won't we? Second time's the charm, right?" She patted him on the cheek with a smirk. "Right."

She dropped him to the ground and stalked off to the backroom, rubbing her hand across Silas' chest as she did so, attracting his attention.

"Why do you have her here?" George asked, standing to his feet.

Silas smirked, walking backwards towards the back room. "She's my right-hand woman; one of my 'men.'"

George watched him turn with grace and enter the back room, before shaking his head and leaving. _Like she can tell me what to do. It's time to finish what I started._ He thought as he was leaving.

\- PRER -

Nikki and Autumn sat in the interrogation room, Autumn giving Lara a check over, even though she would try to harm her every time Autumn would attempt to fix her up.

"You know, the harder you make this, the longer and worse your sentence is gonna be." Nikki pointed out from across the table.

Lara rolled her eyes. "Like I care. I'm already going on a life sentence, so why does it even matter?"

Nikki nodded. "That _could_ be true. We might be able to strike you a deal if you tell us who you were working with, and why exactly you both killed Lugh Schaal."

"He made a deal, and didn't follow through with it. That's what he gets for not paying." Lara shrugged, crossing her arms and leaning back uncomfortably in the chair.

Autumn sat back in her own chair as well. "So, you killed him for that?"

Lara looked between the two, "I don't even know who you people are. Aren't you supposed to introduce yourself and offer me a lawyer or something?"

"I'm detective Nicole Keegan, and this is my associate, Autumn DeWitt," Nikki told her. "You do have the right to a lawyer, if you want one. I doubt it would help, though."

"But I do have the right to one, which means I'm gonna take the opportunity in front of me," Lara said. "Wouldn't you, if you were in my position?"

"Probably not," Nikki shook her head. "Why would I need a lawyer if I wasn't guilty? Besides, in your case, we already know you're guilty."

Lara raised an eyebrow. "With what evidence?"

"Witnesses, your power matches up to the murder victims death, etc." Nikki shrugged.

She crossed her arms and leaned forward. "Then why am I here?"

The door opened, and Tori stepped into the room with a man next to her, attracting all of their attentions. "Because, we want to know a bit of information about your partner." She gestured to the man next to her, who had dark features and a very professional suit on. "I'm lead detective Victoria Fray, and this is Daniel Jordan, your lawyer, since you were asking about it."

Nikki stood up. "Tori, what the hell are you doing? This is our investigation."

Tori smirked. "No, it's not, and it never has been. This is _our_ investigation, and you will treat it as such. I'd like you to leave while I talk to my suspect."

"This is ridiculous." Nikki gestured for Autumn to follow her, "Come on, we have to go."

Autumn stood up, but, instead of following Nikki out, she stopped in front of Tori, holding her hand out. "Hey, I'm Autumn. The red lieutenant ranger."

"Well, good luck with that," Tori ignored her hand, walking past her. "I'd like you both to leave now."

"Come on, Autumn. Isn't she so nice?" Nikki said sarcastically, pulling her out dejectedly. "We should go check on Sophie and Andi. They must be hurting." She said quickly.

Autumn looked in the window as Tori was talking to Lara. "Actually, I was thinking we could go figure out what's going on with George Tucker. I know it's important for you to check on your friends, though, if you'd rather do that. I don't mind going alone."

Nikki gestured to the lab, where Jason was typing on the computer, oblivious to their presence. "I really should go, but you can take Jason with you. He really gets a lot of experience out on the field," She said sarcastically. "I don't know how he can stay in that lab all day - I always like to be on the move, you know."

Autumn chuckled. "Yeah, I know what you mean." She smiled as Nikki patted her on the back and left. She then opened the door to the lab, startling Jason in his seat. She laughed a bit. "Sorry, did I scare you?"

"No, of course not," He said, trying to act nonchalant as he picked himself up from the chair he was sitting in and stood to talk to her. "So umm.. what's up?"

She gestured out. "Nikki's going to see how Andi and Sophie are doing, and I thought you could come with me to see about George Tucker."

Jason frowned. "Weren't you guys interrogating Lara Letford?"

"Yeah, but Victoria came in and took over." Autumn shrugged. "I guess that means George Tucker is fair game, then. You gonna come?"

He shrugged awkwardly. "Oh, I don't know.. I mean, I'm more of a lab rat, you know? I'd probably just slow you down."

"No you wouldn't," Autumn chuckled, waving him off. "You did a pretty good job fighting out there today already. Besides, I need help if I'm gonna catch this guy. Will you help me?"

"Well, since you asked," Jason smirked, trying to crack a joke, and Autumn chuckled lightly.

"Thank you. Let's go figure out where they are." Autumn smiled.

\- PRER -

Sophie grimaced as she rubbed the bridge of her nose, willing her headache to go away, even though she knew it was a waste of time to do so. She had an IV in her hand, feeding her pain meds, but it wasn't helping to take away the pain completely.

She heard footsteps approaching and looked up to see Owen coming into the room with a coffee cup in hand. "I know this probably won't help, but I brought some coffee," He said, handing her the warm cup, which she eagerly took.

"You're a life saver." She said as she sipped at the warm liquid. "I needed this badly."

Owen chuckled. "Truth be told, I'm not really a fan of coffee. Even if I was, it might look weird to the staff if I was getting two, especially if you're not supposed to be drinking it," He winked at her, and she winked back. "So, how are you feeling?"

"I have a massive headache, but the doctor says I'll be fine and back to work by next week. Andi too," She observed him, frowning. "Are you okay, Owen? You're being really quiet, and you're never like that."

"Yeah," Owen shrugged. "I guess. I just.. Today has been a long day. I'm not used to so much activity, you know?"

"I get it," Sophie nodded. "You know, if you ever need to talk about it, you can. I'm here for you."

He chuckled. "Thanks, Soph, but I'm good. I just need to go home and unwind. Play some GTA, relax. Simple stuff."

"You do know that you're twenty years old, right?" Sophie laughed.

"Yeah, what about it?" Owen crossed his arms.

Sophie raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's just that I don't know how many twenty year old's that still live with their parents and play video games in their free time. I mean, if you were in college or something, I'd get it, but you're not. Did you even go to college?"

"No," Owen rolled his eyes. "I wasn't really into school or anything. I mean, I had to go to fire training, but that's it. I didn't even really want to be a firemen, to be honest. I wanted to design video games."

She scoffed. "Of course you did. What inspired you to become a firemen, then?"

He rubbed his arm uncomfortably. "Personal stuff." He shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

"Hey guys!" They looked over to the doorway to see Nikki entering the room with flowers in hand. She put them next to Sophie's bed and smiled brightly. "Soph, you doing good? How are they treating you here? If they're treating you bad, you're gonna let me know, right?" She joked, nudging her as she sat down.

Sophie laughed. "I'm okay, and they're treating me fine, thank you," She nudged her back. "Did you go see Andi?"

Nikki nodded. "Yeah, but she fell asleep before I could even finish speaking. I hope it wasn't my story that put her out," She chuckled.

Owen gave her a look. "Weren't you supposed to be questioning criminals or something?"

"Autumn and Jason are handling it. They're going to find George Tucker, one of the criminals that got out because of Lara." Nikki told him.

He let out a laugh. "You must be joking. You let the newbie and the squint to go out and catch a dangerous criminal on their own? Why would you do that?"

"Oh yeah, I was totally joking. Couldn't you hear it in my voice?" She said sarcastically. "I left because I wanted to see how Sophie and Andi were doing, obviously. Besides, I have faith in Autumn and Jason. They can handle it, and, if they need backup, they'll call."

\- PRER -

"Wasn't that a bit wrong?" Jason asked as Autumn was taking him to the address of George Tucker's mother. "Tricking Joey and Taz to give you the address and information?"

Autumn shrugged as they walked down the street. "Maybe, but we have to do what we have to do. If they're already on Lara's case, they should focus. Meanwhile, we can talk to.. Anne Tucker."

Jason straightened out his shirt awkwardly. "So, what do say?"

As they approached the house, Autumn put a hand across his chest to stop him. "We have to handle this smoothly and with care, alright? Since it's his mother, she may be hiding something for him." Jason nodded and they entered the yard, where they found an older woman spraying her garden. When a neighborhood cat got close, she sprayed it as well.

"Get out of here, you rat!" She exclaimed as the cat ran off, soaked with water.

Autumn approached the woman, Jason staying behind a bit. "Anne Tucker?" She asked, talking over the spray of the water.

The woman turned around, shooting them both daggers. "Yes, what do you want?" She asked gruffly, putting a hand on her hip and turning her water off.

"I'm Autumn DeWitt, and this is my partner Jason..." She turned back, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Johston," He practically exclaimed, once he got her look. "Jason Johston."

Autumn nodded awkwardly and smiled nonchalantly at Anne. "Yes, and we're with the Emergency Responders government agency, investigating your son, George's, case."

"George?" Anne nodded, pursing her lips. "Yeah, I should've figured he would get in trouble again."

Autumn frowned. "Why would you say that?"

Anne sighed. "George has had quite a bit of trouble since his father passed away. He used to be a straight A honor student, and then my husband.. passed, and George began to act out. I suppose that it was his way of coping, and, no matter what I did, I could never get through to him. He wouldn't let me." She rubbed a hand over her tired face. "What's he done?"

"He escaped from a holding cell after committing an assault on a man named..." Autumn looked down at the paper, and frowned deeply. "Charles Tucker."

The woman looked down at the ground. "That's George's older brother - on his father's side, that is. When I met Roy, he already had a son, who was Charlie. Sweet kid; I have no idea why he would attack him."

Jason stepped forward, trying to appear as if he knew what he was doing. "So," He cleared his throat. "Umm.. what motives could there have been?"

Anne gave him a look. "I just said that I don't know why George would attack him."

"What Jason meant to say," Autumn pushed him back a bit. "Was more along the lines of, 'did they get along as children?'"

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh, yes. The only time they wouldn't was when George would get a bit jealous of Charlie," Anne chuckled in remembrance. "While George was always a good student and a smart kid, Charlie always seemed to overshadow him, you know? He had more friends, better grades, in a sport.. George would always feel like he wasn't good enough, compared to his brother."

Autumn nodded. "Do you happen to know where Charlie might be at this moment?"

Anne gestured towards the city. "He's still at the hospital, to the best of my knowledge. If he's not there, he's probably at his job or home. I'll get you the addresses if you'd like."

"We would appreciate that, thank you." Autumn smiled as Anne walked into her house. She turned back towards Jason. "That wasn't too hard." She smirked. "Next stop, Charlie Tucker."

\- PRER -

Owen and Nikki stood out in the hall, waiting while the doctor gave Sophie a one-over to make sure she was recovering properly. While they did so, Nikki smirked towards Owen, and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"What?" He smirked back.

Nikki chuckled. "So, what's going on with you and Sophie?" She crossed her arms, nudging him with her elbow. "You guys together or something?"

Owen nearly scoffed, but settled for laughing instead. "Not even close. Sophie's like a sister to me." He gave her a flirty look. "Why, you jealous or something?"

She shoved him with a laugh. "Shut up, Owen!" She exclaimed, causing a few of the staff to give them looks to be quiet. She hit him after they left. "You just got me in trouble!" She whispered, trying to stifle back the rest of her laughs.

"What are they gonna do?" He waved them off. "We're power rangers, they can't kick us out."

She shook her head at him, still smiling. "That kind of thinking is exactly what would get us in trouble and kicked out." She chuckled. "You're such a stook."

"A what?" He gave her a strange look.

"I mean, an idiot," She blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry, I..." She trailed off, which was unusual for Nikki, who usually had everything to say.

Owen frowned. "No, what'd you say? I'm a 'stook?'"

"Yeah," Nikki sighed. "It's nothing, just slang."

"I've never heard it before."

"Probably because you've never been to Ireland," She muttered under her breath, before looking up at him. "It's from where I come from." She said.

He nodded in understanding. "Okay. What's wrong with that?"

"What do you mean?" Nikki frowned at him, uncrossing her arms.

Owen chuckled. "Well, why are you afraid of talking in the way of the people from.. where ever you're from? I mean, you said sorry because you said something you're used to, which is pointless, because there's no reason to not embrace who you are. If I were you, that's all I would do."

Nikki gave him a strange look. "Really?"

"Oh yeah - you're great!" He nudged her. "Why would you wanna hide all of that greatness?"

"That's..." Nikki began to respond, when their morphers beeped. She immediately brought the device up to her lips. "Autumn?"

 _"It's me,"_ Autumn said. _"We've checked around George's victim's work and home, but he wasn't there. We think he's at the hospital, and that George is headed your way. Be careful, we're on our way over to help out!"_

Nikki looked to Owen and nodded. "On it." She gestured out. "Let's do this."

\- PRER -

Tori and Dan came out of the interrogation room, and Tori leaned against a table in the viewing room opposite of the interrogation room. She peered up at the man, who had sighed and rubbed his face tiredly with his hand.

"I'm guessing you're positive you don't have a case." Tori crossed her arms and smirked at him. "That's what you get for regularly defending criminals that are usually guilty, Dan."

Dan rolled his eyes. "I became a lawyer to help people, but someone needed to do this job, and I had all the experience they needed, so I was hired. You've known me for longer than anyone else here, so you should know that by now."

Tori gave him a look. "Sorry I don't keep up with your personal opinions." She muttered. "That's not the point, though. I need to know what you're getting from this. Obviously, she's guilty, but we want to know more information and you and I both know she won't give it to us."

"Hey, I want to get the information out of her as much as you do, but I have to do right by my client," Dan defended. "It's my job."

She scoffed. "So, you're gonna let her remain silent and potentially have more people killed by her partner."

"Maybe her partner won't work without her." He suggested.

"Okay, sure," Tori rolled her eyes. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, you know."

"Tori!" Suddenly, Joey, Sean, and Taz burst into the room, pushing past Dan. "We have a bit of problem," Sean said, giving a side glare to Joey and Taz.

Tori looked at the two as she responded, "What kind of a problem?"

Joey sighed. "We might have accidentally given George Tucker's information off to the lieutenants," He admitted. "But I swear we didn't know it was them! We thought they were interns going to deliver it to you!"

"That's what they told us," Taz nodded in agreement.

Tori clenched her fists in anger. "It doesn't matter how it happened - we have to get to their location and show them who's boss, understood?" She looked to Sean. "Can you come?"

"Yeah, I guess I'm ready for another fight, as long as this one doesn't involve me getting shot," He joked, but Tori just glared at him. "Sorry. We should go."

"Yes, we should," Tori nodded. "Come on."

She and the chiefs pushed past Dan once more, and ran out of the room, heading for the hospital.

\- PRER -

Nikki and Owen rushed down the halls in the hospital, when an alarm suddenly went off. They looked around in shock, seeing all of the windows suddenly have a metal guarding go over them, and the elevator was closed off.

"What's going on?" Owen asked, looking to Nikki in shock.

Nikki was, for once, speechless. "I.. I don't know. Maybe this is what happens when there's an attack? I've never had this happen before!"

Owen nodded. "Okay, so how are we gonna get to the attack?"

"The stairs!" Nikki pointed forward, showing an emergency exit through the stairs. They looked up, seeing a large metal door slowly beginning to close. "Go!"

The two ran forward, ducking into the stairs before the door closed. Once they got past the door, they held their morphers out. "Ready?" Nikki asked, looking to Owen.

"Ready."

"Emergency Responders, Get Into Action!" They exclaimed together.

"Yellow Lieutenant Ranger!"

"Green Lieutenant Ranger!"

After morphing, Nikki gestured down. "Let's go."

Unbeknownst to the two, Autumn and Jason were also in the staircase, held off by the metal doors keeping them in; the only way out being the hospital exit. They had also tackled George into the stairs with them to fight back without harming any patients.

George shoved them back, growling low in his throat. "Like I didn't see you two coming. I was prepared for this," He reached across his body with his right hand, pulling a large knife out of a holster on his belt.

"Think carefully about what you're doing, George," Autumn pulled out a nightstick from her belt, as did Jason. "You can come with us without all of this drama. We don't want anybody to get hurt here."

He shook his head. "I'd never go without a fight." Suddenly, he looked up before anyone could do anything. He looked to them. "I guess I'd better work fast."

Jason and Autumn exchanged confused looks through their visors as George ran forward to attack them. Autumn jumped back from the large curved knife he swung at her, it narrowly missing her abdomen.

"Jason, these suits are bullet and knife proof right?" She asked, looking over to him as George elbowed him to the floor.

He nodded. "Technically, but it's complicated. Once a bullet or a knife passes through, the protective fibers can become useless. As well as certain knifes and guns being so powerful that they can make it through on the first try..."

Autumn hit the knife away from her with the nightstick. "Okay, I get it!" She exclaimed, cutting him off.

George grabbed her nightstick with one hand and tried to stab at her with the other, but the knife became stuck in her suit. She looked down in shock, and then groaned in pain when George punched her hard in the stomach.

She grabbed the knife and pulled it out of her suit, falling to the ground in pain and clutching her side while George stole it back from her. "Thanks for this back, red," He smirked, turning towards Jason. He stabbed at him, but Jason jumped back away from the weapon.

He knocked back at George's hand, but the criminal refused to drop the knife, despite Jason's best efforts to knock it out of his hand.

"Guys!" Nikki and Owen jumped over the railing to get down the last flight of stairs to meet them at floor they were on. Nikki immediately jumped into action, kicking at George's back to knock him into the rail, and almost forced him to drop his weapon.

The man turned back to them, ducking under a punch from Nikki and drop-kicking her to the floor. Owen ran in next, grabbing his hand to force the knife out of it when George kicked him in the shin, allowing him to take back control of the knife.

George smirked at him as Owen stood up tall and tried to come at him, but he swung the knife at Owen's side and, instead of stabbing it in like he did to Autumn, curved it in. When Owen gasped in pain and his eyes widened under his visor, George knew it went in.

The other lieutenants looked up in shock as the green ranger demorphed with the knife still embedded in his side, deeper than the others thought was possible with their protective suits.

"Oh my god!" Nikki exclaimed, running forward with Jason to catch the Owen as he fell to the ground, George laughing, ignoring the fact that he didn't have his knife anymore.

Autumn suddenly tackled George to the ground, holding him on his back with handcuffs tightly closing around his wrists. He smirked up at her from the ground.

"Well, I guess that was worth it, huh?" George asked.

The red ranger growled, slamming him onto the ground. "Shut the fuck up." She looked over at the other rangers, who had demorphed as well. Nikki had pulled the knife out and was holding her hands tightly against the wound in Owen's side, trying to stem the bleeding. Autumn put her morpher to her lips. "The hospital can get back from lock-down. We have the criminal in custody, and we need medical attention immediately."

Within a minute or so, the metal doors slid back up into their slots, and doctor's rushed in, checking them all over while some of them whisked Owen away. Autumn demorphed and pulled George up to his feet, holding onto his handcuffs with a death grip, as Nikki took of her bloody gloves and Jason held the bloody knife with caution.

They waited for the doctors to exit, and were surprised to see the chiefs, Masters, and Lia standing there.

Nikki chuckled nervously, though she was in a very serious mood. "Hey guys. What's up?"

The group in front of them all gave them looks, while Lia walked forward to looked them over. "You guys caught George Tucker," She said, sounding a bit shocked.

"Yeah," Autumn nodded, gesturing to the man she was holding with handcuffs. "As you can see." She said, sounding a bit detached.

Master sighed. "It took us almost a month to catch him the first time we heard of him." He looked at the chiefs before looking at the lieutenants. "Wow." Was all he could say.

"It's not that impressive," Jason shrugged, uncomfortable with all of the limelight on them.

"Oh, but it is," Lia told them, shaking her head with a smile, before turning to Masters. "Still think we don't need them?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"Just bring him in for questioning," Masters muttered.

Nikki scoffed. "What about Owen? We're not gonna just leave until we know how he is."

Autumn nodded. "I agree. We'll be there to question George later - after we make sure Owen's gonna be alright."

"Definitely." Jason agreed, standing with the two as Autumn handed George off to Lia.

Lia took George and turned to Masters. "They'll be there to question him later. You guys should go back to ER, because they're staying."

"We can't just hold off an investigation because of one injury," Tori interjected, but Masters put his hand up.

"We're going. This is their investigation now - officially." Masters nodded to Lia. "Don't make me regret letting you have them,"

Lia smirked. "I don't think you will."

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Emergency Responders:** Tori becomes increasingly on edge as Autumn gets an award for stopping George, and, while the others are distracted with other things, decides to go off on her own to solve a murder.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Award

 **I know this took almost a month to get out, but I definitely didn't forget about this story! I'm really enjoying writing this so far, but I've been sidetracked with my other story, which I'm trying to finish before the end of the month, so updates may be far and few in between.**

 **Also, I thought that I should mention that, since the villains and criminals are technically human, the fights won't be as brutal as it would be if they were fighting monsters. Oh, and that a lot of these chapters may carry on into the next one, due to the way this series is laid out.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you'll like the next one! Since I might be leave you guys off for a while again, here's the lineup for the next five chapters (after the one I described above).**

 **Ep 7: Partner -** Autumn focused chapter.

 **Ep 8: Junior -** Sean and Taz focused chapter.

 **Ep 9: Second In Command -** Jason focused chapter.

 **Ep 10: Owen's Success -** Owen focused chapter.

 **Ep 11: Home Is Where The Heart Is -** Joey focused chapter.

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	7. Ep 6: Award

**I know it's been a while since I updated this, but I was trying to focus on getting Animal Guardians done, and then school started, so I've been busy. I decided that I would write this since I'm almost done with Animal Guardians, and had a bit of free time.**

 **Also, I have a new OC contest for one of the next stories I'm doing after Animal Guardians, if you guys wanna check it out (if you haven't already). It's gonna be up until September 7th-9th and you can submit two characters, so feel free to enter!**

 **Logan is portrayed by Alfred Enoch**

* * *

Tori ran down the street, hot on the criminal's trail. She knew from reading his file that he was quite dangerous, and had been the main suspect in the latest murder, which had been sent in while she and the others were at the award ceremony.

The young man used his foot to push off of a wall and run up a fence, hopping it with ease.

"Stop!" She yelled, running up onto a dumpster nearby and leaping off of it onto the other side of the fence, trying to reach her handcuffs out of her belt as she sprinted after them man. "Brian Carter, you're under arrest! Stop now!"

Brian ignored her, and shoved a nearby group of boxes from an ally in Tori's way. She saw this coming and leaped out of the way, kicking a few of them back as she continued to run.

The man ran faster, looking back at her for a moment. "You'll never catch me!"

"We'll see about that!" A new voice said, as Autumn jumped out in front of him, having ran through a building to cut him off. She smiled at Tori, who gave her a smirk and a nod. "Good plan, Tor!"

Tori finally pulled out her handcuffs as Brian stood in between them. "I agree. Brian Carter, you're under arrest for the murder of your girlfriend, Lisa..." She trailed off as Brian pulled out a gun, looking between the two. "Hey, drop your weapon, now!" Tori reached her hand to touch her morpher.

Brian turned left and pulled the trigger.

 _BANG!_

 **\- Cue Opening -**

 ***Four Hours Earlier***

"This award is presented to Autumn DeWitt for her dedicated and hard work catching and locking away George Tucker, who has been on the run for a while now," Masters spoke in front of an audience at ER, with Autumn and Lia standing next to him. He was holding a medal in his hands.

In the crowd were both sets of rangers, chief and lieutenants, besides Owen, who was still recovering at home from his stab wound. Among them, as expected, was Tori, who had her arms crossed as she watched Masters speak.

Tori had been a ranger for a few months now, and had caught many criminals in her time, as well as ones she had caught before becoming a ranger. She had never gotten an award. Autumn showed up, and got an award for the second person she caught.

Not only that, but another ranger had gotten hurt on her watch. How did that make her a hero?

She watched as Masters put the medal around Autumn's neck and handed her the microphone. "Thank you, Masters and Lia," Autumn smiled to her mentor, who returned the gesture. "Honestly, and I'm not just saying this because it's customary, I was really surprised when I found out I was getting this. I've only caught two criminals, and that was only with the help of my team." She gestured to Jason and Nikki. "Another ranger, Owen Lalley, also was injured on the job during this fight. I don't really feel like I deserve this."

Autumn looked out into the crowd, her eyes locked with Tori's for a moment. "So, I dedicate this medal to, not only my team, but also the chiefs and everyone at ER. If it weren't for them, I never would've had this opportunity, so thank you all." She looked at Tori once more as she handed Masters back the microphone.

Tori shook her head, causing Sean to nudge her with his elbow. "What?" She growled, looking to him.

"Why don't you knock it off, Tori?" He whispered, rolling his eyes at her. "We're not children, and we don't hold grudges over nothing. Autumn deserves what she's getting, whether anyone, including her, thinks so or not. Just because we're higher rank, doesn't mean that we should look down on them for doing something _good_."

She scoffed. "You don't know anything."

Taz and Joey, who were sitting diligently next to them, looked over. Joey leaned over, looking past Taz to speak to them. "Why don't you two quiet down? We're here to support Autumn."

"I'm not supporting anyone!" Tori hissed. "I'm here because I have to be."

Joey shook his head at her. "You just have a bad attitude. When you get a good one, talk to me." He sat back in his chair, crossing his arms.

The chiefs quieted down as everyone began clapping, and they did so as well, despite being a bit distracted. Tori, however, was the only one not clapping.

\- PRER -

Owen stood in front of the mirror in his room, lifting up his shirt to look at the fresh scar on his abdomen. He had the stitches removed a few days prior, and was finally cleared to go back to work today, as long as he didn't do anything too strenuous for a week. This meant no ranger duty, but he could at least go and help out with interrogations and such.

He touched the scar lightly; it was still a bit tender, but it didn't really hurt.

A knock at his door startled him, and he put his shirt down, turning to see his younger sister, Mallory, standing in the door frame. She was 15, and had the same dark hair, pale skin, and blue eyes that Owen, and their older brother, Wade, had.

"What's up?" He asked, looking her over. She was wearing shorts and a crop top, with wedges on. He frowned. "What are you wearing?"

Mallory rolled her eyes. "Everybody dresses like this at my school, Owen." She said, before looking him over instead. "Are you going back to work?"

Owen nodded. "Yeah, today's my first day back." He noticed her worried look. "I'm fine, and will continue to be. It's not like that happens all the time."

The young teen rubbed her arm nervously, looking at the ground. "I don't want you to end up like Wade." She said, causing a hard look to cross his face. "He's not a good brother anymore."

"Get in here," Owen hastily pulled her in the room and shut his door. "He'll hear you, and you're wrong. He's depressed, Mallory. We need to be supportive to get him back to normal."

Mallory made a face. "It's been two years, Owen. What makes you think he's ever gonna be normal again?"

Owen sighed. "I just know." He opened the door and ushered her out into the living room, where a 29 year old man was sitting in a wheelchair, looking out of the window at something. "Do you need a ride to school?" Owen asked his sister.

"Yeah," Mallory nodded, looking down at the floor. "Let me go get my backpack."

When Mallory left, the man spoke up softly. "You going to work?"

Owen looked up at him, seeing him turn his head slightly towards him. "Yeah," The green ranger moved his tall frame towards him. "You have any plans today, Wade?"

Wade scoffed. "I'll see you guys when you get back." He began to roll his wheelchair back, and off towards his room.

"Wade," Owen called, making him sigh and stop for a moment. "Maybe we could do something this weekend? Just like old times?"

Mallory had come back out of her room at this point, and moved to stand beside Owen, as Wade didn't say anything and went into his bedroom.

"Owen?" Mallory looked up at him, but Owen shook his head.

"Come on, let's get you to school," Owen held up his keys, leading her out of the house.

\- PRER -

Sean walked out of the men's locker room, wearing a plain blue tank top, black basketball shorts, and blue sneakers. He was currently in the gym, and got onto the treadmill just as Taz came out of the women's locker room, dressed in her casual clothes, rather than her uniform.

He turned around, making sure to pull the clip out of the treadmill, and raised an eyebrow at her as she put her uniform in her locker. She looked beautiful, with her brown hair framing her lightly tanned face perfectly, and her green shirt accenting her blue eyes.

"Taz?" He asked, startling her. "Sorry; what are you doing here?"

She finished her task, turning back to him. "I'm going out with Junior, so I figured I should get dressed properly."

Sean made a slight face. "Really?"

Taz rolled her eyes. "Yes, really. Look, Sean, I know you don't like him, but I have no idea why. He's a nice guy."

"No, he's not." Sean scoffed. "He's a dick who doesn't treat you right, and obviously doesn't like you like you should be. You deserve so much more than him."

She looked down at the ground. "I don't know about that." Taz muttered. "Besides, I feel safer with him than most guys who have been with me."

"Wow, that really makes him a keeper." Sean said sarcastically. "Dating isn't just about safety - it's about love and how you act with each other and how you feel with each other. There's so much more to it than you know, if you're gauging your relationship on your safety."

"What do you even know about it?" Taz crossed her arms. "You're not even in a relationship, and haven't been in any that I know of."

Sean almost laughed. "I've been in relationships." He smirked.

"With who?"

He made a face. "Girls back in high school and the police academy."

Taz raised an eyebrow at him. "You haven't been in the police academy for like four years at least."

"Maybe I just haven't found the right person yet." Sean crossed his arms back at her. "Why are we even arguing about this? I know for a fact that Junior isn't right for you, and I know you'll see that eventually."

She stared at him. "What's your problem?" She asked. "Obviously you know or feel something that I don't." He looked down, as she thought for a second. "Do you..." Taz trailed off, making a hard look on her face appear. "Nevermind, I'm leaving."

Sean was silent as she left, making him sit down on the bench with his head in his hands. He sat like this for a few moments, feeling a sluggishness overcome him. He heard footsteps approaching, and looked up to see Sera come into the room, stopping in her tracks when she saw him.

"Sean, are you alright?" She asked, walking towards him.

He sighed. "Can you drive me home? I'm..." He gestured to his head, and she nodded in understanding immediately.

Sera pulled her keys out of her pocket. "Yeah, come on." As he stood, she put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad you said something - last time you didn't wasn't very good."

Sean nodded in remembrance. "I remember." He muttered, letting her lead him out.

\- PRER -

Jason walked into the chief forensic lab, going to obtain the body Taz had to examine. Since she was going to spend the day with Junior, she told Jason to take it to the lieutenant lab and work on it until she got back.

When he entered, he saw a young man, about the age of 19 with dark skin, black hair, brown eyes, and a handsome face. Jason couldn't help but stare, which startled the young man when he turned around.

"Wow, you scared me," He chuckled, causing Jason to looked away very suddenly and awkwardly. "I'm Logan Jordan, the chief's new intern. And you are?" Logan reached his hand out to shake Jason's.

Jason took his hand and shook it back. "Jason Johston, one of the lieutenants," He forced a wide smile, causing Logan to chuckle. "So, Jordan, huh? You related to Dan?"

Logan nodded. "My uncle, actually. He helped me get a job here, though I have no idea how he did that with his reputation around here."

The blue ranger shrugged. "Well, it's not that we don't like Dan - he's a nice guys, it's just that we don't like him protecting criminals, you know?" He explained, rubbing his arm nervously.

"I figured," Logan looked him over. "Anyways, what lieutenant are you?"

Jason gestured to his blue shirt. "The blue ranger."

"Second-in-command, huh?" Logan smirked. "Impressive. Maybe I'll come up with something to impress you later." Jason stared at him, as he laughed, before handing him a few papers. "I assume you're here to pick up the body, but Taz asked me to hand you these instead. She decided against moving the body so soon and giving you all the information she had instead."

"O.. oh, okay." Jason stuttered as he took the papers, before exiting the room quickly. He jumped when he turned the corner and saw Nikki and Owen waiting in the hall for him. "Oh my god," He held a hand on his chest. "You frightened me."

"Dude!" Nikki hit his arm, making Jason give her a strange look. "He was totally flirting with you! Get back in there now!"

Jason sighed and began walking back towards the lieutenant lab, Nikki and Owen following him. "No, I don't really think so. Besides, even if he was, we just met and.. and I.. I just need some time to think about things like this. It's just.. nevermind." He muttered, walking into the lab and putting the papers down. "Why were you waiting for me?"

Owen gestured out. "We were gonna invite you to go get some lunch with us."

"Oh, I don't know, guys.. I..."

"No," Nikki grabbed his arm and began to pull him with them. "You're coming. You never go anywhere."

Jason gave her a look. "I like my lab."

"Obviously. Spending all that time in a lab must be super healthy for you," Nikki rolled her eyes. "I mean, that's all you do. No offense." She shook her head. "Look, we're going, and that's final. Come on."

\- PRER -

Joey had stopped at his small house for a while, which he lived in with his mother due to money problems. His mother and him had never really had a solid income, or an official place to live when he was younger. It wasn't until he was 16 and managed to get his own job that they were able to find a more or less 'stable' place to live.

Now that he had a much better job, he could help support his mother even more. She now worked two jobs, and was often tired and stressed out, which made Joey want to stay and help her out even more.

As he walked in, he shut the door behind him and saw a picture of himself as a baby on the table. He smiled and picked it up, but noticed that it was folded over oddly. He opened it, and saw another baby sitting there - one that look almost the same as himself, sitting in the same position as him, on the other side of the photo.

His mother, Deborah, who often came home between her jobs for lunch, walked into the living room, surprised to see him standing there.

"Joey," She said, walking towards him, even more surprised to see the photo in his hand. "What are you doing with that?" Joey showed the full picture to his mother, who tried to be nonchalant. "What's wrong?"

"Who is that?" He asked, pointing to the baby on the other side of the photo.

She chuckled awkwardly, leaning down to pick up her coffee cup and walk it into the kitchen, with Joey on her heels. "That's you."

Joey raised an eyebrow. "But, I'm here." He pointed to the other child.

Deborah nodded. "They're both you. It was an editing problem at the photo studio when you got your picture taken, and it duplicated you."

"Really?" He asked, looking at the back of the photo. "But it says Joseph and Anthony on the back."

She looked at it in shock. "Oh, well, that's what I called the duplicate as a joke," She said, shrugging. "I saw that and named it because I thought it was funny at the time. So did your father."

Joey made a face, and ripped the photo in half, making his mother gasp. "Well, my dad is a dick, so we don't need this other half with 'Anthony,' do we?"

"I.. umm.. guess not." Deborah said slowly, watching him throw it away with a strained look on her face. He handed her back the half with him on it. "Thank you, Joey." She said, forcing a chuckle.

He smiled, not noticing the look on her face. "So, what's for lunch?"

\- PRER -

Meanwhile, Autumn walked out of ER for a moment, fiddling with the medal still around her neck. Since she had gotten it that morning, she had to wear it for the rest of the day until she went home, not wanting to take it off around any of the others.

As she walked outside, she saw Tori walking down the street, not far from her, and she was acting strange. Tori was looking around, trying to make sure she was alone, and quickly turned a corner, obviously trying to avoid being seen.

Autumn sighed and walked after her, though she stayed a bit behind. When she rounded the corner, she was confused when she didn't see Tori. She walked forward a bit, when someone grabbed her and pulled her into an alleyway.

She kicked the person back and went to grab her morpher when the person grabbed her again and shoved her against the wall, pinning her there. When her eyes adjusted to the dark off the alley, she noticed it was Tori.

"Tori, what the hell are you doing?" She hissed, pushing the other red ranger back. "I thought you were a criminal trying to kill me or something."

Tori rolled her eyes. "Oh please," She scoffed. "What are _you_ doing following me?"

Autumn looked to the side. "I wasn't following you," She said, trying to be nonchalant.

"Yes, you were," Tori growled. "And if you don't tell me, I'm going to lock you to the nearest car and leave you there."

The lieutenant sighed. "I was wondering what you were doing. You looked suspicious - like you were planning to do something stupid."

Tori shook her head. "I'm going to do my job, like I should be doing. Unfortunately, I've been a little distracted lately."

Autumn frowned. "What? By me and the other lieutenants?"

"The others I'm used to." Tori said, crossing her arms. "They've always been around - albeit they were rangers until you showed up, but they've always been itching to do it whether they were or not. It's you that's the problem. You show up out of the blue one day, become the _red_ lieutenant ranger, and then get an award after catching only _two_ criminals. You're just..." Tori shook her head. "You're too much."

Autumn looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way. I didn't mean to. Besides, I thought it would help to catch criminals, no matter who helped me do it."

"You..." Tori sighed. "I.. look, I worked really hard to be in the position I'm in and..."

"And I'm not trying to steal your spot." Autumn told her, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder, though Tori shied away from the touch. "I'm just trying to do my job, like you. I know my place, and I know your's too. Don't worry about that." Tori was silent. "Look, why don't you tell me what's going on so I can try to help you out?"

Tori looked at her. "I don't know, I..."

"I'll listen to everything you say. You're completely in charge, just don't go out there alone. We both know how dangerous and stupid that could be." Autumn told her.

The chief nodded. "Alright" She gestured out to the street. "But let's get out of here first. There could be people back here."

As they left, a figure in the shadows of the alley watched them, before retreating back into the darkness.

\- PRER -

 ***Now***

 _BANG!_

The gun shot resounded through the alleyway, and Tori closed her eyes, expecting to be shot anytime. When she heard someone else fall and didn't feel any pain, she opened her eyes and saw Autumn on the floor, holding a hand to her side in pain.

"No!" Tori exclaimed, pulling her own gun out and pointing it at Brian as he turned towards her. "Drop it now!"

Brian smirked. "You're not gonna shoot me. I know you won't."

Tori trained her pistol on him, but she wasn't pulling the trigger. Behind him, she saw Autumn give her the signal to let him run if he refused. "Drop it." She demanded, cocking the gun.

From behind Brian, Autumn watched carefully as she cocked her pistol. "Don't do it, Tori," She whispered, holding a hand to the bloody mark in her side. Because Brian wasn't a good shot, he just grazed her side, but it still hurt very badly. "Please, do the right thing and don't shoot him."

"Do it," Brian taunted her, cocking his own gun to mock her. "Cause if you don't, I will."

Tori put her other hand on the bottom of her pistol, and pull the trigger. Immediately, Brian started running away, even though there was no bullet coming after him. As he ran, Autumn put her foot out and tripped him, before kicking her foot down on his back to stop him from moving.

The chief red ranger ran over, and kneeled down, her knee in his back to hold him down while she handcuffed him. She then held him down with one of her hands while she turned to Autumn, her eyes widening at the blood coming from her side as she tried to sit up.

"Wait, take it easy," Tori warned her, holding her shoulder, though Autumn pushed her hand off gently.

Autumn winced. "I'm okay. He just grazed me. I'll probably need a few stitches, but besides that I'm fine."

"Okay," Tori nodded, pulling Brian to his feet before helping Autumn up, letting her lean on her a bit. "Hey Brian, wanna guess where you're going?"

Brian rolled his eyes, "Let's just get over there and finish this." He muttered, as Tori walked them back.

\- PRER -

Later, Autumn sat on a cot in the infirmary, her bloody shirt sitting next to her as Sophie stitched the gash in her side. Autumn winced a bit at the needle going into her skin.

"You okay?" Sophie asked, looking at her face for a moment. "I would say we could stop, but we kind of can't. Sorry."

Autumn nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, and I know." She looked around. "Where are the others?"

Sophie continued her task again. "I think they're all looking over the case and trying to put all of the evidence together to be able to convict Brian. I don't know where Tori went, though."

"I'm here." Tori said softly, holding something in her hands as she walked over to Autumn, cringing at the gash. "Are you alright?"

Autumn chuckled. "Yeah, don't worry about it."

Tori gave her a pursed lip smile and sat down on a cot next to her. "So, we're off the job for the rest of the day cause Masters and Lia are kinda ticked that we went off on our own. Plus, you're off for a week or two because you're injured."

The lieutenant red rolled her eyes. "Great. You'd better look after the team, Sophie," She said to the intern, who finished off her stitches and was walking out of the room for a moment.

"I will," Sophie called back, leaving the two alone.

Autumn reached over and grabbed a red t-shirt she had gotten out of her locker to replace her bloody one for the time being. "So, what's up?" Autumn asked, looking over at her as she put it on over her bra. Tori stared at her for a moment, before shaking her head.

"Oh, I came to give you your medal," She handed it to her. "You dropped it on the way in here."

"Thanks," Autumn looked it over. "You know, I meant what I said up on that stage. This medal goes out to all of us here. You and the other chiefs did all the research, I just cuffed him."

Tori smiled at her and the two stared at each other for a moment, before they both looked away awkwardly. "Anyways," Tori cleared her throat. "I'm going to get a late lunch." She stood up, and began to walk out, when she turned back to Autumn. "You can come if you want. You know, as coworkers and acquaintances do."

Autumn nodded. "Oh yeah, completely. I'd love to go." She stood up, and followed Tori out of the room.

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Emergency Responders:** With Autumn out of command for a few days more, Jason is forced to take the helm and lead the lieutenants into a battle with a store thief. Meanwhile, things continue to be tense between Sean and Taz, making Tori force them to work together.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Second-In-Command

 **So, after almost a month, here's the next chapter. I know I was going to have an Autumn focused chapter next, but I feel like I've been focusing a lot on her and Tori for the past few chapters, and I figured that it would be a good time to have the next chapter after the events of this one.**

 ***As I said above, I have another OC contest for anyone interested (if you haven't submitted already). It's definitely going to be up for a little more than 2 weeks more, and you can go put in two of your own characters! Speaking of which, I have been getting everyone's OCs, but I won't really be responding or anything until I decide who I want on the 7th or so, so don't worry that I didn't get it or anything.***

 **Here's the lineup for the next five chapters.**

 **Ep 8: Junior -** Sean and Taz focused chapter.

 **Ep 9: Partner -** Autumn focused chapter.

 **Ep 10: Owen's Success -** Owen focused chapter.

 **Ep 11: Home Is Where The Heart Is -** Joey focused chapter.

 **Ep 12: Test -** Nikki focused chapter.

 **Anyways guys, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you guys back with the next chapter!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	8. Ep 7: Second-In-Command

**Here's the next chapter. Sorry this took a month to get out - I'll try to make sure the next one doesn't take that long too. I was just really busy and this was a hard chapter for me to write, which I'll explain below so that I don't spoil anything. Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

Late at night, a young man, about the age of 22, walked into a small convenience store in a bad part of town. He had tanned skin and brown hair that was pulled back into a short ponytail. His brown eyes scanned the cashier at the front of the store as he walked around the aisles.

He had one hand on the base of the hood on his black jacket, and one hand near his belt.

The man behind the counter watched the young man carefully, watching to see what he was going to do. Since he had set up shop in this side of town, the man always had gang members and such coming in and out of his store. He was sure they stole from him, but he had never been in a real robbery before. Despite this, he always kept a sharp eye on everyone that walked in, especially someone alone and looking suspicious.

"Can I help you, young man?" The older man called out, attracting the attention of the 22 year old, who was trying to avoid his glance.

The young man looked up, a strange look on his face. "No, I think I know where the thing I need is," He said, pulling his hood up over his head and walking towards the man, immediately pulling out a gun. "Give me everything you got," He growled.

"Okay, just calm down," The man behind the counter urged, tapping the keys of the cash register as fast as he could, his hands shaking. "I'll give you everything, just please don't hurt me. I have a wife, kids - grandkids!"

"Hopefully they'll still have a grandpa tomorrow." The robber rolled his neck, still pointing the gun at the man as he shoved money across the counter.

The cashier gave him everything, and the man shoved it all in the large pockets of his hoodie. "Please, just leave." He pleaded to the younger man.

"Get back there," The robber gestured to the back room with his gun. "Now!" He cocked his gun for extra measure. The older man walked quickly towards the back room, letting the robber slam the door behind him. The young man shoved a whole shelf of snacks in front of the door since it locked from the inside before running out of the store, leaving the man behind.

 **\- Cue Opening -**

Tori walked into the chief base, looking at Sera and Logan, the latter doing work on the computer while the former and more experienced of the two was doing some paperwork and had cork board next to her. It was obvious that she was getting ready to pin up some information about a case they had. She walked over to her.

"Sera, there's a case?" She asked, looking at the case file in front of her, frowning when she saw two.

Sera nodded. "Two, actually. I was thinking you and the other chiefs could take on one while the lieutenants took the other, if that's alright?"

Tori gestured for her to move over a bit and opened both of the case files. One of them was a robbery, while the other was a murder - one that seemed like it could have another body involved if the murderer continued to stay on the outside. She nodded. "Alright, we'll take the murder," She handed that case to Sera, while picking up the other file. "I'm gonna take this to the lieutenants, alright?"

Before Sera had a chance to respond, Taz and Sean walked into the room, Sean seemingly trying to explain something that was bothering him to her, while she seemed quite irritated with what he was saying.

"What's wrong with them?" Tori asked, frowning at two of her partners.

Sera shrugged. "Something about Sean not liking Junior,"

"Oh, well I agree with him on that," Tori said, making Taz glare at her. "Look, I'm sorry but it's true. He doesn't treat you right - Taz, I see him making eyes at your _mom_. He's not the kind of guy you want to make a life with, especially considering that you should be looking into that when choosing someone to be with."

Taz shook her head. "He's not that bad."

"So you're okay with someone who will leave you for your mom?"

"He's not gonna do that," Taz rolled her eyes. "Why won't you guys just leave him alone? I love him, and it's my life - I can do what I want with it!"

Sera gave her a look. "So you expect us to just stand by while you do things to hurt yourself?" At this statement, all three of the chiefs in the room looked a bit uncomfortable, all with different reasons for looking so. "You know what I mean, guys." Sera said, knowing somewhat about all of the three's problems.

Tori rubbed her arm with her free hand awkwardly. "Okay, look, we don't have time for petty arguments about who likes or doesn't like who. We have a new case and I'm gonna pair you two up while I'll pair with Joey."

"What?" Taz narrowed her eyes, while Sean seemed alright with the pairing. "He's just gonna talk bad about Junior the whole time. I don't wanna put up with that."

The red chief rubbed a hand down her face, sighing. "You'll be fine. You can work out your issues while you catch a murderer. Look through the file, I have to go give this one to the lieutenants." She turned to Sera. "Send them to the location; Joey and I will look through the evidence later." Before letting anyone respond, Tori walked out of the room and made her way down the hall, finding Nikki, Owen, and Jason all in the lieutenant base. "You guys have a case," She announced, causing them to look over at her.

When neither Nikki or Jason made a move forward to take the case file, Owen sauntered forward and took it, opening it to look through it. "What is it?"

"Robbery over on Tide Road." Tori told him, before looking back at Jason. "Since Autumn is out of commission for the time being, you're in charge, you know?"

Jason frowned. "I am?"

Tori nodded slowly, as if her statement was very obvious. "Yeah. You're second-in-command, so it's your job to take over when the leader is gone." Tori noticed Nikki glaring at her out of the corner of her eye, though chose to ignore it. "I'm thinking that two of you should go over there to talk to the guy that was attacked while the other stays here and checks over the file with Andi and Sophie." Seeing the looks they gave her, she spoke again. "I know I don't get to tell you what to do, I'm just giving you a suggestion."

"Why are you giving us a case anyways?" Nikki crossed her arms. While the yellow lieutenant was usually more kind and energetic around others, she usually seemed cold and almost angry around Tori.

"The other chiefs and I have to take care of a murder case," Tori explained, her expression calm and collected as she spoke, not faltering with the looks Nikki was giving her. She then look to the three lieutenants. "I trust you three can take care of it. I have to get back and find Joey to go work on my own case if you need me."

As she walked away, Nikki scoffed. "I don't like her, you know?"

"She didn't do anything right now except give you a case," Andi pointed out, taking the file from Owen and looking it over. "Why don't you just let it go?"

Nikki made a face. "She messed something up for me - something I wanted more than anything. I'm not just gonna let that go." She shook her head. "Okay, Jason, what's the plan?"

Jason looked at her, his cheeks turning rosy from being put on the spot. "Well.. I don't know.. Autumn usually comes up with the plans," He stuttered, rubbing his arm awkwardly. "Or you guys do. I.. I'll just let you guys come up with the plan and I'll go with it."

"No way, dude," Owen shook his head. "You need to step up. You're not only second-in-command, but what if we weren't here? We can't help you then. Tell us what you want us to do and we'll do it."

"Owen," Nikki frowned at him, nudging him lightly.

"What? He does," Owen crossed his arms. "He can't just walk around and expect us to do this for him. He needs to come up with a plan as our leader for the time being."

Jason had no idea what to say, looking between the two - Owen giving him a hard, expectant look while Nikki looked more sympathetic. "I.. umm... Okay, let's do what Tori told us to do. One of you can stay here and look over the information, and the other can come with me to the sight." He said, taking a deep breath.

Nikki and Owen looked at each other, before Owen said, "Who do you want to come with you?"

"Uhh..." Jason rubbed the back of his neck. "Owen, I guess. No.. not that I wouldn't want you to come, Nikki, it's just that.. you know, you're really good at spotting things that we wouldn't in the evidence and.. stuff."

"Okay," Nikki nodded, walking over to Andi to look over the evidence.

Sophie stood up from her position at the computer, and walked over to them. "I'm coming with you guys. I can help calm the guy down so you can really talk to him and find out what happened."

Jason looked between Owen and Sophie, before nodding. "Alright, let's go."

\- PRER -

Joey was in the chief firehouse, washing the firetruck with the hose. When he was done rinsing it, he put the hose back for a minute and looked outside. The sun was shining brightly and he could smell freshly cut grass coming from outside.

He saw another firemen walk by and caught him by the shoulder. "Hey, can you finish this up? I have to.. step out for a minute."

"Yeah, no problem," His coworker nodded, picking up where he left off as Joey walked outside, stepping to the side where there was a wall so no one would see him 'slacking off.'

Joey breathed in deeply and smiled, looking around at the town before him. In the distance, he could see some skyscrapers and, while he thought they were beautiful and he was grateful to be able to even see them, he frowned.

He thought about all of the rich owners of the buildings looking down on the poorer workers on the different floors. He also thought about how they had an easy life.

While Joey would definitely consider himself someone who wasn't afraid to take risks, mostly due to wanting to do everything before he couldn't, he was always afraid of risking his time. His time was something he couldn't get back, and, the more time he risked, the closer he would be to a time when he can't do everything he wanted to do.

Rich business men didn't have to worry about that - they always had security and didn't have to worry about what would come for them the next day. They didn't have to live paycheck to paycheck.

It's not that he hated richer people, but sometimes he wished he didn't have to live with the danger of not knowing. He also wasn't afraid of not knowing, but it wasn't a secure feeling to know that your life could be torn down by something in an instant just because you don't have enough money to pay your rent or bills.

"Joey," A voice said, making him turn his head quickly to see Sera standing against the garage door frame. "Are you okay?" She asked, frowning at his facial expression.

He nodded. "Yeah, what's up?" Joey asked, straightening himself out.

Sera seemed skeptical of his answer, but didn't try to push the subject. "Okay, well Tori needs you in the chief base to look through evidence with her. There's a murder, and she already sent Sean and Taz out to the scene."

"She wants me to be her partner?" Joey asked, a strange look on his face. "I thought Sean was usually her partner."

"He is," Sera nodded. "But Sean and Taz aren't really getting along that well, so she decided to make them work together to get over their 'childish differences.'"

Joey chuckled a bit. "Alright, let's get in there."

\- PRER -

Jason, Owen, and Sophie made it to the convenience store, seeing a few police cars already on the scene and questioning the man who seemed shaken up, but alright nonetheless.

As they approached, a policeman stopped them at the crime scene tape. "I'm sorry, this is a closed off area at the moment. There was a robbery here last night and no civilians are allowed past this point."

Owen and Sophie looked to Jason to speak, but when he looked over to them for help, Sophie spoke up, nudging Owen before he could berate Jason. "We're from the Emergency Responders base," She said, pulling a badge out of her pocket, gesturing for the two rangers to do the same. "We're here to investigate the robbery."

"Oh.. are you new chiefs or something?" The officer asked, looking them over.

Sophie shook her head. "No, they're the blue and green lieutenants - Jason Johston and Owen Lalley," She gestured to them as she spoke, "And I'm their intern, Sophie Wilkson."

The officer gave them a strange look. "Well, we were just expecting the chiefs, but I guess you'll do." He said offhandedly, leading them into the crime scene as they frowned at him. "Gary Herseb owns this store and said that it was robbed by a man that looks like this drawing from our sketch artist," He looked through a file he had laying on his car's trunk. "We also sent surveillance photos to the chiefs - I'm not sure if you got them or not."

"We did," Owen snapped, causing Sophie to give him a look as the officer turned around and glared at him. "Look, I just don't want to be disrespected because I'm not one of the chiefs. Just because we're not them doesn't mean that we can't do what they do."

"Well, here's the drawing," The officer ignored Owen's anger, handing the photo to Sophie, who showed it to the two.

As soon as Jason saw the photo, he immediately began to get a pain in his head. He winced, bringing a hand up to touch his head and attracting the attention of Owen, Sophie, and the officer standing with them.

Jason brought his other hand up as well as the pain began to get worse and his vision became distorted.

"What's going on with him?" The officer asked as Sophie came around to Jason's other side while Owen was on one, and the two helped him lean against the police car as he hissed in pain.

"He's having a vision," Sophie told him, squeezing Jason's shoulder.

 _\- Vision -_

 _A young, 9 year old Jason sat in the library at lunch time, reading a book all alone. He usually ate lunch alone in the library while reading a book, mostly because he wasn't allowed to go out and play with the other kids, which left him without any friends to spend time with._

 _His parents were very overprotective of him, and wouldn't let him do anything that would trigger his very bad asthma, which would send him back to the hospital. The amount of time he spent in the hospital almost made him home schooled, since he was out of school so often._

 _His classmates knew about it as well, and would either avoid him completely or bully him. Thankfully, most students wouldn't indulge in such an act, but that didn't make him completely immune to bullying._

 _Being different made people dislike him, or scared they would 'catch' asthma, even though that's not the way it worked and Jason wished he could explain that to others._

 _He just didn't have the courage to go up to them and ask them to hang out, or to calm their fears. He was too shy - too set under rules and protection to break away and actually get out to make friends._

 _Jason sighed, putting his book down as he finished his lunch. He picked up his cardboard tray and walked over to the garbage can a little bit outside the door, before turning to walk back into the library._

 _Then, someone tripped him. He hit the ground hard, thankfully catching himself with his hands so he didn't hit his chest and knock the air out of his already damaged lungs._

 _He sat on the ground and looked up, seeing a smirking older boy standing above him with his two friends sitting at a bench behind him. Besides the three of them, no one else with smirking or laughing. In fact, a few seemed disgusted at the older boy, though no one came to help him._

 _"Why'd you do that?" Jason asked, looking hurt._

 _The older boy, one he knew as Adrian Hunter, laughed. "Because you're weak. You don't belong with the normal kids, you freak! Get out of here."_

 _\- End of Vision -_

Jason was suddenly taking in gasping breaths, not only to compensate for the pain he felt severely in his head, but also from the stress of the memory he saw. The pain in his head went away, and he immediately put a hand on his chest in distress.

"Jason?" Owen asked, watching as Sophie suddenly caught him as he fell to the ground, trying to control his breathing. "What the hell is going on?" He asked Sophie, seeing her looking him over.

Sophie shrugged frantically as she looked for something that could be wrong. "It could be a lot of things - panic attack, reaction to the pain.. I don't know! He's never mentioned breathing problems before!"

Owen looked around, trying to see if there was anyone else who could help, though he saw no one. "What are we gonna do?" He asked over Jason's heavy wheezing.

The intern looked up at the officer who was still standing next to them, looking stunned. "Sir, please go call my partner at ER. Ask for Andi, I need to know if there's anything she might know about this. If she's not available, ask for Sera. Hurry!" She then put a hand on Jason's forehead, trying to use her power to calm him down. "Just relax," She soothed, watching his body relax, but his breathing was still the same.

"Can I do anything to help?" Owen asked, kneeling down beside them.

Sophie shook her head. "I don't know. If this was a panic attack, his breathing would be coming back down to normal." She looked up at him, her eyes fearful. "I could try and treat him for something but I have no idea what's wrong. He's never said he experienced something like this before."

Suddenly, Jason went limp - the only thing he was doing now was making gasping breaths. "Damn it!" Sophie exclaimed, laying him out on the floor carefully. "I need some help over here! Now!"

\- PRER -

Meanwhile, Sean and Taz had left the crime scene and stopped at a small cafe, sitting outside while they waited for a waitress to bring them their orders. They sat in an awkward silence, neither knowing exactly what to say to the other.

"Okay, look," Sean started, causing Taz, who was looking at the ground, to look up at him. "I'm sorry for insulting your.. boyfriend, but I'm just worried about you and I just want you to see where I'm coming from. I know you're not gonna leave him because I say this, but I just want you to know that I'm saying these things out of car for you, not out of spite."

Taz gave him a small smile. "You don't need to be worried about me, though. I'm okay," She told him, causing him to sigh.

Sean ran a hand down his face tiredly. "I just don't trust him."

"But you trust me," Taz said. "Right?"

He nodded. "Of course, but that has nothing to do with this. I how you feel - how you don't think you deserve to be loved in the right way because you're not lovable. I've been there. Hell, I am there half of the time. Just because you don't appreciate yourself in the right way doesn't mean you should let others treat you badly."

Taz looked down at the table, not knowing what to say for a minute. "What makes you say that?"

Sean had a hard look cross his face. "Because I've been there, and I know what it looks like. Maybe that's why I'm not in a relationship; I don't think I deserve to be loved in that way, or at all sometimes."

"Really?" Taz asked, looking back up at him, though she kept her head down a bit.

"Yeah." Sean nodded. "It's hard, but it doesn't mean you have to succumb to those feelings. I know it's hard - I really, really do - but you can't let people walk all over you or treat you badly."

Taz fiddled with the sleeve of her sweater. "So what should I do?"

Sean sighed. "Do whatever you think you should do - whatever is best for yourself and whatever you need to help feel better about yourself. If Junior makes you feel better about yourself, then keep him around.. but, if he doesn't, then leave him."

"Hey, Sean?" She said, giving him a small smile. "Thank you for always taking care of me, even when I say I don't need it. It means a lot that you care so much about me."

The blue chief smiled back, reaching across the table and taking her hand. "You don't need to thank me. The way you care about me and other people is thanks enough."

\- PRER -

Nikki walked down the hall, trying to reach in the infirmary. Sophie and Owen had told them about what happened at the crime scene, and, after half an hour looking through evidence they had gotten, Nikki could help herself but to go see how Jason was doing.

She was actually quite surprised to find out that he had been hiding from all of them, besides Andi, that he had asthma. It was something she thought was strange that he was keeping it from them, especially since she knew it was something that affected his health.

While personal matters weren't something the rangers had gotten together to discuss, this was different. If Andi wouldn't have known that he had it, something really bad could've happened.

Sophie and Owen had no idea what to do without that knowledge. It could've been much more serious than it was.

While Nikki knew she had it in her to be mad that he didn't tel them and posed a risk to his health, she also knew that if he had a good reason for keeping it to himself, she could find it in herself to sympathize with and forgive him.

As she approached the infirmary, she heard voices coming from inside the room and stopped just outside the door, listening in on Jason's and Logan's, the new chief intern she had yet to officially meet, conversation.

"I just don't want to be looked at like that anymore!" Jason snapped, something that was unusual for the shy forensic scientist. "I don't want to be looked at like I'm different or weak or.. broken. The others are all amazing and strong and healthy, but I'm not. I'm not like them.. I don't deserve to be ranger."

At his statement, Nikki sighed, bringing a hand up to rest over her heart at the sorrow she felt for him. She knew the how it was to not feel like she was good enough, especially when she was around Tori or one of the other chiefs. She took a deep breath to contain herself and continued to listen.

"I stay in a lab because I don't feel tough enough to go out and fight crime like the rest of the team. I've always wanted to help people, but I don't think I'm strong enough to do it. The others probably don't either, now that they know." Jason said.

Logan then spoke up. "That's not true. The others are your friends - they care about you and your health, and they would never judge you, especially not for something that you can't control. They want you to be healthy and happy just like you would want the same for them. If anything, they're feeling worried and hurt about the fact that you didn't trust them enough to tell them."

Jason was silent for a few moments. "I was just scared." He whispered.

"I know that," Logan sighed. "But they don't. They're probably sitting around wondering why one of their friends didn't trust them enough to tell them something important like this. They trust you, but you, despite knowing who these good people are, don't trust them."

The blue ranger took in a deep breath. "I never looked at it like that. Some people in the past have just made me feel embarrassed about it.. like, it's something I should hide. It's not that I don't trust them - I don't want them to feel that way. These people here are the closest thing I've had to a family in a year or two. I don't know why I'm so afraid."

"It's a normal human reaction to feel insecure about the things that make us different, and to worry how others will react to it." Logan assured him. "If someone makes you feel bad about something you can't control or something that make you different, then they're not your friend. Tell them to screw themselves. People like that aren't people you want to be friends with."

After a moment, Jason spoke up again. "Thanks, Logan. That means a lot to me."

When their conversation seemed over, Nikki knocked on the wall and poked her head in the doorway, smiling at Jason, who was sitting on the side of a bed in the infirmary. "How you feeling?" She asked, walking over and sitting on the side of the bed with him. Neither of them seemed to notice, as they spoke, that Logan made a face when Nikki walked in and made his own way out of the room.

"I'm okay," Jason said, giving her a smile in return.

"I'm glad," Nikki put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed in comfortingly. "So, are you feeling up to talking about what happened out there? I mean, I know you had an asthma attack, but why? You've never had one after a vision before."

Jason sighed. "I saw something that made me.. have a panic attack. I know the guy who robbed that convenience store - he used to bully me as kid. His name's Adrian Hunter. I guess when I saw him again I freaked out, even though were both adults now and it shouldn't even mean anything to me."

"Hey, childhood bullies can definitely have an affect on how you see the world. You can become insecure and hurt because of it. I don't know how badly this bullying was, but it could still make you feel upset or embarrassed." Nikki reassured him, before giving him a thoughtful look. "Wait, if you know this guy.. maybe if you know where he lived or something we could get a lead on his whereabouts."

The blue lieutenant gave her a small smirk. "I think I might remember. Should we go after this guy?"

Nikki chuckled, "No, we should just let him go," She smirked, speaking sarcastically. "I'll get Owen, and then we'll get this guy. You ready for this?"

Jason took a deep breath. "Yeah, I think I am. Let's do it."

\- PRER -

Silas sat in a computer chair in his office, waiting for Thorn to bring in a new criminal he'd been seeing rising in the last few days. People were calling this serial killer the Grave Digger because the bodies being found were all buried under ground in some kind of 'coffin.'

"Boss," Thorn spoke, opening the door to Silas' study. "He's here."

Silas nodded. "Alright, send him in." Thorn reached out from behind the door and pulled a scrawnier man who, surprisingly to Silas, was wearing a police uniform. "You're the Grave Digger?" Silas almost scoffed. "You don't look like much."

The policeman crossed his arms as Thorn closed the door behind them. "I'm a lot more than I look."

"What's your name?" Silas leaned back in his chair, observing the man carefully.

"Johnny," He replied. "And you're Silas, the most infamous gang leader out in this whole area. What do you want with me?"

Silas smirked slightly. "I figured you could help me out with something. You know it's only a matter of time before the rangers catch you - especially considering they just got the case this morning and your.. close relationship with one of the chiefs."

Johnny narrowed his eyes. "What about it?" He asked defensively.

The crime lord nearly laughed. "Oh, don't even try to play me, boy. I know how little you truly care about her. Don't you have a thing for her mother?"

"What is this about?" Johnny repeated louder and harsher, ignoring his statements.

Silas leaned forward, placing his hands crossed on the desk in front of him. "I want you to do your work on your little girlfriend. Get her and whoever she's with and shove them under ground."

"They'll catch me in half a second if I do that!" Johnny exclaimed. "I can't do that - not without Taz or any of the others seeing me or figuring out who I am if they don't."

"So you'll flee," Silas shrugged. "You do this, or I'll shove you underground and do it myself, _Junior_."

Junior sighed angrily. "You're really gonna make me do this?" Silas lightly threw an envelope on the table, prompting him to pick it up. "What is this?"

Silas gestured to it as he opened it. "Take it as a sign of good faith. It's a private plane ticket to Mexico, where you can live without worrying about the rangers and be free after you do what I ask of you."

"How do you know I won't just go there anyway without doing this?" Junior asked, studying Silas' face.

"Because you don't want to die," Silas said simply. "You'd inflict pain on others easily, but when something dangerous comes your way, you do what's best for yourself. You'd rather go to _prison_ for the rest of your life than face me in a fight, and we both know that." Junior said nothing. "So, what'll it be? Death, or going on the run?"

\- PRER -

Jason, Nikki, and Owen stood morphed in an alleyway, watching Adrian's house, seeing a few gang members come in and out, and also seeing Adrian pass by the window from inside the house.

When all the activity seemed centered inside the house, and after one of the members closed the blinds at the front window, the three decided to move in, holding their blasters down at their sides.

Nikki went up the porch stairs first, listening to the activity inside through the door, before looking back to Jason and Owen, who were waiting for her gestured. She nodded, allowing Owen to come up the steps and slam his foot through the door, effectively opening it.

Some of the men inside immediately drew guns, pointing them at the three rangers as they trained their blasters on them. Once they fully saw the rangers, a few men surrendered. One man, however, ran out the back, only seen by Jason.

Not seeing Adrian anywhere, Jason could easily assume it was him.

"Drop the guns!" Nikki ground out, she and Owen keeping a close eye on them. None of them seemed to want to make a move. "Now!"

Jason turned his head slightly toward Owen, who he was closest to at the time. "Stay here and help Nikki handle and cuff these guys. I'm going after Adrian."

Owen nodded to him. "Go get him," He encouraged.

The blue lieutenant kept his blaster trained on the men as he made his way to the back, running out the door once he felt he was safe enough to do so. Hearing pounding to his left, he ran over and jumped up over the backyard fence and onto a metal sheet covering the top of the neighbors work tools and such. He ran over it, chasing behind the robber in front of him.

Adrian jumped down after reaching the street and ran through the road, stopping cars whose drivers proceeded to honk. Jason flipped off of the metal sheet, following him through the street and down an alleyway, noticing how the drivers now seemed more interested in what was going on rather than irritated at Adrian stopping traffic.

Jason chased him through the various turns through the alleyway, until they came to a dead end. Jason pointed his blaster back at the man, while Adrian drew his gun, pointing it back at him.

"I guess you have me at a standoff." Adrian smirked. "Your move, blue."

"Why don't you just put the gun down, Adrian?" Jason said, taking a deep breath and forcing his voice to stay firm and strong sounding. He wouldn't let a criminal hear him sound weak or stutter. He had to be confident.

Adrian chuckled. "I don't think that's how this works. How'd you know my name - how'd you know where I live?"

"I had a vision," Jason spoke. "What's your ability?"

The robber shrugged. "Strength, durability. You could shoot me, but it probably wouldn't do anything."

Jason looked at his blaster, a bit surprised that Adrian thought it was a real gun. He didn't say anything on the matter though, worried Adrian would use the information to his advantage. "I don't want to shoot you. I'd rather take you into custody and deal with you simply and easily, but you're not gonna make it that way, are you?"

Adrian shook his head, a dark look crossing his face. "I'd never back down without a fight."

"You always have to make things hard on yourself?" Jason asked. "This can all be over. Just come with me."

Adrian laughed humorlessly. "You can go to hell." He pulled the trigger on his gun, Jason immediately throwing himself to the floor to avoid the hit. The bullet grazed over his shoulder, but, thanks to his bullet proof vest on his suit, he didn't feel it all too much.

Jason saw Adrian try to run, and grabbed his blaster, shooting a blast of energy at the robber's foot and knocking him to the ground. Jason immediately got up and ran over to the young man, holding him to the ground and handcuffing him. He then helped him to his feet, holding him by his cuffed wrists.

"How does this feel, Adrian?" Jason asked, looking him over.

Adrian glared at him. "How does what feel?" He spat.

Jason just stared, the hard look on his face not faltering, even though Adrian couldn't actually see it. "Being taken down by a _weak freak_?" He ground out. "You don't remember me, but I remember you. I was the shy kid with asthma who could never play sports with the 'normal' kids like you. You would torment me, but I had no idea you'd grow up to continue tormenting people. I'd hoped that, maybe, you'd grow out it and become a better person.. I see that I was wrong. You might not believe me, but I take no pleasure in knowing that."

The robber said nothing, just as Nikki and Owen ran over to them. "Hey, we got cars picking up the guys now. We should bring him over there, let them take him to the station. We can see to it that he gets a sentence there."

"Alright," Jason said, handing Adrian off to Owen, and walking beside Nikki.

"Are you okay?" She asked, looking up at him as they walked towards the street.

Jason nodded. "Yeah, I think I am. I'm just.. disappointed, I guess. I always try to see the good in people, and hope that, if they're not good, that maybe they can be. I guess that's not necessarily true."

Nikki sighed. "Look, there might be a lot of bad people out in the world, but there are also so many good people out there too. You're not in the wrong for thinking that way about people - that's what separates you from Adrian. You see the good in people, and treat them nicely and fairly, but he doesn't. You're a very good person, Jason. I hope you know that."

"Thank you, Nikki," Jason smiled at her, feeling himself blush a bit. "That means a lot."

\- PRER -

As they walked back to ER, Sean and Taz noticed someone waving at the and gesturing for them to follow this person down an alleyway. The man they saw looked to be about 50, and seemed to be homeless.

Sean and Taz exchanged looks, before walking down the alley with caution, Sean staying in front of Taz in a protective manner. "Sir, do you need something?" Sean asked, looking him over. Not only did he looked homeless, but he also reeked of alcohol, and, by the way his eyes were dilated, seemed to be on drugs. "Are you alright?"

The man leaned in towards them. "I'm sorry." He whispered.

"Sorry for what?" Taz frowned as she was then suddenly grabbed from behind and had a wet napkin placed over her nose and mouth. Immediately recognizing the chemical smell, she pulled her head forward and threw it back, headbutting the assailant in the forehead. She pulled away, knocking into Sean as the two got into a defensive stance against this new man.

"Who are..." Sean trailed off as the two saw his face when he got up from Taz's attack. "Junior." He stated, looking over to see Taz with her hands over her mouth in shock at this.

Junior nodded, leaning against the wall and grasping something behind his back. "That's right," He smirked, looking towards the man near him. "Do your thing, Mark."

Mark suddenly grabbed Sean grasping his wrists firmly with his hands as Junior tackled Taz to the floor. Sean struggled to get out of the older man's grasp, pulling and fighting his hands when he felt a burning sensation growing worse by the minute.

He cried out in pain, trying even harder to escape. Taz wasn't doing much better either; she was pinned to the floor and Junior had the napkin shoved over her mouth and nose. She struggled at first, but as she inhaled the chemical, she quickly lost the battle and fell unconscious.

"Taz!" Sean yelled, watching Junior hoist her over his shoulder and run out of the alley. Sean roared in anger and kicked his foot back at Mark, forcing him to let go as Sean ran after them, pulling his gun out in the process.

The blue chief looked up and down the quiet side street he followed them to and saw Junior getting ready to leave in his car. He pointed his gun directly at him through the windshield. "Let her go. Now!" Sean called to him.

Junior smirked, and revved the engine, but Sean didn't move from the road. "Alright, Sean, you've given me no choice," He whispered, putting his foot down on the pedal and driving forward.

\- PRER -

Autumn walked down the hall towards the chief base, not finding anyone around in the lieutenant base at the time. She made her way over, and was surprised to only find Tori and Joey in the whole base.

"Hey," Autumn greeted, knocking lightly on the wall so as to not startle them. "Where is everyone?"

Tori looked her over, surprised at her presence. "More importantly, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be recovering?"

Autumn shrugged. "I have faster than average healing abilities," She chuckled. "I only needed a day or two to fully recover because of my ability. It's day three - I know I'm late but I didn't think you guys would think I wouldn't show up at all."

"Well, all the others are out," Joey informed her. "Sera, Andi, and Sophie left for their shifts, Masters and Lia have been in meetings all day across town, and everyone else is out with cases."

"Yeah, and we're trying to figure somethings out about the Grave Digger," Tori said, gesturing to the cork board in front of them. "We already sent out Sean and Taz to get some more evidence or leads. Whatever they can find."

Autumn frowned. "Who's the Grave Digger?"

"He or she is a serial killer who takes their victims and buries them alive in some sort of.. well, coffin," Tori explained. "This person will bury anyone in any kind of container that's big enough."

"That's sick," Autumn crossed her arms, walking further into the room to look at the board. "Any leads so far?"

"None," Joey sighed, pinning up a picture of a crime scene where they found a body in an old refrigerator. "The victims are scattered. None of them have any ties to each other. The only thing we have on this person is that they use a voice recording through a phone to inform people, and have them pay a ransom for the location."

Tori nodded. "That, or they just say good luck. Sometimes this person doesn't ask for anything, just kills the person inside."

Autumn rubbed her arm, a disgusted look on her face. "That's just horrible. Who could do such a thing?"

"I have no id..." Tori was cut off when her cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket, frowning when she saw the unknown number. Despite not knowing who it was, she answered. "Hello?"

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Emergency Responders:** Tori receives a call from the Grave Digger that Sean and Taz have been kidnapped, leading to the two remaining chiefs teaming up with the lieutenants to find them before it's too late.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Junior

 **So, I just wanted to say that, if you recognize the story of the Grave Digger from somewhere, it's from Bones. I love that show a lot and thought that would be a cool concept to play around with in my own way. I want to let you guys know that this is a disclaimer and I don't own that idea.**

 **Also, I didn't want to change Jason in this chapter to someone who's now completely different and outgoing and really confident. You'll see from the next and future chapters that Jason still has more than a few insecurities and that he's still pretty shy and a bit awkward. He is, however, more confident in his ability to do his job and protect people.**

 **One last thing, updating might still be a bit far and few in between for me for a while, but I'm getting back on schedule and have the first chapters of Rainbow Fighters and Earth Defenders coming out very soon. The schedule I'll have for updating mostly will be Guardians of the Galaxy, this story, and then those two in the order I wrote above to keep it fair with updates.**

 **Anyways, here's the lineup for the next five chapters.**

 **Ep 9: Partner -** Autumn focused chapter.

 **Ep 10: Owen's Success -** Owen focused chapter.

 **Ep 11: Home Is Where The Heart Is -** Joey focused chapter.

 **Ep 12: Test -** Nikki focused chapter.

 **Ep 13: Kidnapping Reds -** Tori and Autumn focused chapter. Possibly a two-parter.

 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you guys back with the next chapter!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	9. Ep 8: Junior

**Here's the second part of the chapter. This will take place directly after where I left off last time. Again, disclaimer, I don't own the concept of the Grave Digger, the show Bones does (I also don't own Power Rangers, but I think you already knew that).**

* * *

 **Last time on Power Rangers: Emergency Responders**

"Yeah, and we're trying to figure somethings out about the Grave Digger," Tori said, gesturing to the cork board in front of them. "We already sent out Sean and Taz to get some more evidence or leads. Whatever they can find."

Autumn frowned. "Who's the Grave Digger?"

"He or she is a serial killer who takes their victims and buries them alive in some sort of.. well, coffin," Tori explained. "This person will bury anyone in any kind of container that's big enough."

"That's sick," Autumn crossed her arms, walking further into the room to look at the board. "Any leads so far?"

"None," Joey sighed, pinning up a picture of a crime scene where they found a body in an old refrigerator. "The victims are scattered. None of them have any ties to each other. The only thing we have on this person is that they use a voice recording through a phone to inform people, and have them pay a ransom for the location."

Tori nodded. "That, or they just say good luck. Sometimes this person doesn't ask for anything, just kills the person inside."

Autumn rubbed her arm, a disgusted look on her face. "That's just horrible. Who could do such a thing?"

"I have no id..." Tori was cut off when her cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket, frowning when she saw the unknown number. Despite not knowing who it was, she answered. "Hello?"

 **Now**

Tori waited for a response for a moment, before frowning and speaking again. "Hello? Is someone there?"

 _"Victoria Fray?"_ A gravely, unrecognizable voice asked through the phone, almost sounding like a recording, though Tori knew there was someone on the other end.

Her eyes widened for a second, looking from Joey to Autumn. "Yes, this is she. Who is this?" Tori asked, clutching the phone tighter to her ear.

There was a slight chuckle from the other end. _"My name is not important. What is important is that I have your friends, Sean Francis and Fantasia Slide."_ Tori's heart skipped a beat for a moment. _"They are buried in an undisclosed location and have 24 hours until they run out of oxygen. If you ever want to see them alive again you will wire $5,000,000 to my bank account before that time, in exchange for their location."_

Tori growled, "Let them go, or I swear I will hunt you down myself." Her statement caught the attention of Joey and Autumn, who were standing by and waiting for her.

 _"You have 24 hours."_ The voice said, before there was a _click_ and the line went dead.

Autumn watched her take her phone from her ear. "What's going on? Who was that?"

"That was..." She trailed off, leaning against a table in shock. "That was the Grave Digger. He uh.. has Sean and Taz and wants 5 million dollars for them."

"What?!" Joey exclaimed, his expression being one of anger and shock.

Tori took in a deep breath and stood up straight. "We're gonna find them - whatever it takes. We have 24 hours before they run out of air."

Just as she spoke, Jason, Nikki, and Owen walked in through the doors, pausing when they heard what she said. "What are you talking about?" Nikki was the first to respond.

The red chief glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. "Does it matter? Why don't you handle your own case?"

"Hey," Joey scolded her. "If we're gonna do this, we'll need their help. We need everyone on board - us, the lieutenants, Masters, Lia, Sera, Sophie, Andi.. everyone."

Owen crossed his arms. "What the hell is going on?"

"Sean and Taz have been kidnapped," Autumn told her team. "By the Grave Digger." She turned to Tori. "While you may not want our help, you're gonna get it. We're not gonna stand by and avoid saving them because you don't think we're on the same level as you or something."

"I never said that," Tori glared at her. "Though I will admit that it's true." She said, as Jason moved forward slightly to look at some of their work.

Autumn glared back. "Then what's your problem?"

Tori pursed her lips. "I'm trying to do my job without distractions - I don't need you four slowing me down."

Jason touched one of the papers and frowned. "The Grave Digger usually only kidnaps one victim?" He asked quietly, interrupting them. When Tori and Autumn turned to him, looking slightly irritated, he blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry, just wondering."

"Yes, he usually only kidnaps one," Joey answered. "Why? Is that important?"

The blue lieutenant nodded. "Well, if one victim usually has 24 hours of air to breathe in before they run out, then two people who are both breathing couldn't have 24 hours of air. If the Grave Digger put Sean and Taz in the same location and.. coffin of sorts, then their individual air supplies would be cut in half."

"Which means?" Owen egged him on.

"It means that they only have 12 hours before they run out of air," Jason said, rubbing his arm. "That is.. assuming they're both breathing."

Tori slammed her hand down on the table, making Jason jump slightly. "They are, and they still will be when they get out." She sighed, running a hand down her face in stress. "Taz's lab has some of the victims from the crimes. Did she give you any information on them or anything at all?"

"Yeah," He nodded. "She usually does so that I can archive things for her or take over when she's not here."

"Okay, that's great. What did she say?" Tori asked, losing her patience quickly.

"All of the victims so far have been drugged," Jason told her. "Most of the time the only injuries are from a struggle, and all of them suffocated."

Joey frowned. "They were drugged?"

"Yeah," Jason responded. "Given the drugs used, they were most likely given to cause the victim to fall unconscious for easy transport, as well as to prevent a memory of the person behind it.

Autumn made a face. "So even if we save them, we're not gonna be able to stop whoever's behind it?"

Joey shook his head. "No, that's not acceptable. We're gonna stop him."

"No, we're not." Tori ordered. "Our objective right now is to save Sean and Taz. We can find out who this guy is later, but right now, they're trapped underground and are running out of air. We have our priorities." She sighed. "Jason, you get Logan and go to Taz's lab and see if you can dig up anything of importance. Nikki, you, Sera, and Sophie try to trace the call from my phone. We'll get Andi and have her find Masters and Lia. The rest of us will put all of the clues together."

"On it," Jason nodded, rushing off towards the lab. Nikki also nodded and ran over to Sera, who was calling Sophie and Andi into the room.

Autumn walked over to Tori as they all got to work. "I'm glad you made the right choice."

"You better hope it is," The red chief responded, not looking up from what she was doing. "Because if we don't find them... You just better hope for miracle. Now get to work. We don't have time waste." Autumn said nothing, and did as she was told.

 **\- Cue Opening -**

Taz groaned as she came to, shaking her head to get rid of the foggy feeling that was overtaking her thought process. She put a hand to her aching head as she pushed herself up, blinking rapidly until everything around her came into focus. When it did, she was shocked to say the least. Looking around, it was completely dark in an unknown car, besides the over head lights that were on.

She looked out of the windows, and all she saw was sand and dirt surrounding the car. Taz closed her eyes tightly and reopened them, trying to remember what happened.

A low moan came from behind her and she turned quickly to see Sean laying unconscious in the back seat. "Sean?" She asked, touching his shoulder lightly. "Sean! Wake up!"

Sean stirred and almost immediately tried to curl in on himself. Taz could see various injuries on his body and tried to hold him back. "Don't do that. You're hurt." He stopped, but leaned his head back and clenched his jaw in pain. "Where does it hurt?"

He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Taz?"

Taz nodded. "Yeah, it's me. Where does it hurt?"

"You..." He gently took one of her arms, his hands lightly ghosting over hand shaped bruises on her arms. "You're hurt."

She pulled her hand away from him. "No, I'm fine. You're hurt. You were in some kind of accident. Do you remember anything?"

"Junior," Sean responded, reaching one hand up to rub a hand down his face, while the other was wrapped slightly around his middle. "He attacked us. There was a car.. a car hit me."

"Junior? My boyfriend Junior?" She asked, prompting him to nod as he attempted to pull himself into a more comfortable position. As he did so, he cried out in pain. "Okay, okay, where is it?! Where does it hurt?" Taz asked quickly. "I can help you if you tell me!"

Sean gestured to his chest. "It hurts. My wrist and my knee hurt too."

"Does your head hurt?" She said, looking at a small cut above his eyebrow.

"Not that much." Sean groaned out, contorting his face in pain.

"Okay, let me see," Taz leaned forward, sitting on the middle console and reaching for his shirt. After a bit of a distrustful look, he allowed her to lift up his shirt, which made her blood run cold. There was a slightly large bruise-like mark on the right side of his abdomen. "Oh my god. We have to get out of here." She put his shirt down.

He stared at her fearfully. "Is it bad?"

Taz looked down, as she didn't want to look him in the eyes. "It's bad. Just don't move, okay?" She told him, tearing up slightly. "We'll be fine."

"Hey, don't cry," Sean wiped a tear from her face. "It'll be okay."

She pulled away from him. "No it won't! This is all my fault! You told me about Junior and I ignored you, and now look at us! We're gonna die underground because I didn't know that my boyfriend was a fucking serial killer!"

"You can't think like that," He said. "Listen to me, we are two smart people. Together we can come up with a plan to get out of here, right?" Taz nodded after a moment. "Okay, then let's figure out. We got this."

"Okay." She wiped the tears from her face as she turned back to the front of the car.

\- PRER -

"I did it," Junior crossed his arms as he stood in front Silas' desk in his study. "I kidnapped Taz and Sean. I tried to avoid him, but he ran after us, so I had to take him too."

Silas leaned back in his chair, a small smirk on his face. "Why, exactly, would you want avoid taking the blue chief?" Junior looked off to the side, and said nothing. "Was it because you know Fantasia would never forgive you for taking him?"

Junior nodded. "Yeah. I know how much she cares about him, and I knew it would break her heart if I did that."

The crime lord gave him a thoughtful look. "Why do you care so much? I mean, you don't really have feelings for her, do you? Or maybe you're feeling remorseful for all of the things you've done, which wouldn't really make much sense, would it?"

"I don't kill people for sport." He ground out. "I have an accomplice who does. I always give people a chance - I take people who have the money to pay."

Silas raised an eyebrow. "So, who is this accomplice? Or should I say, boss? I assume you're not the real Grave Digger, given the way you explain it."

"She doesn't want to be known," Junior said quickly. "And no, I'm not. I only work for her."

"Alright," Silas put his hands up. "I have another question; why do you work for her in the first place if you don't enjoy leaving people to die?"

Junior crossed his arms. "We're making money. That's what matters."

"So, you just want money, and you figured an easy way to do that was to hold people hostage?" Silas asked.

"She gives me half of our profits." He said. "Besides, I need it."

"What for?"

The officer shook his head. "It's not important. All that matters is that I'm leaving. I just wanted to tell that it happened and it's over."

"Fine," Silas nodded. "Fair enough. Hope to see you around sometime."

Junior scoffed. "Yeah, that's never gonna happen." He turned his back to Silas and walked out of the study, leaving the crime lord to smirk to himself.

\- PRER -

Masters and Lia made their way out of their meeting, Lia shaking her head as they did so. "Those son's of bitches never quit, huh?" She muttered. "The higher ups always trying to tell us what to do."

"It's their job," Masters pointed out. "They don't complain about you doing your job."

Lia scoffed. "Yes, they do. That's all they complain about."

Masters made a face. "At least they're not on your ass for a 'useless power.'"

"Hey, your power isn't useless," Lia assured him. "You know more than anyone I know, and you don't even need to learn about anything before you do it! That's rather impressive in my book."

He nodded, a hard look on his face. "Yeah, thanks."

As they continued to walk, Lia frowned when she saw Andi rushing towards them. "Andi? What's wrong?"

Andi stopped in front of them, a worried look on her face. "The Grave Digger and he kidnapped Sean and Taz."

"What?" Masters said in shock. "Do we have any leads on them so far?" He said, walking quickly forward and making his way into the chief base with Lia and Andi hot on his heels.

Tori looked up when she heard him speak, and shook her head. "Not yet, but we've determined that they only have about 10 hours of air left, given that there's two of them and that they been under there for about 2 hours."

"We tried to track the phone that the call was made from," Nikki said. "But it's untraceable."

"Have you tried tracking their phones?" Lia asked. "Or their morphers? The morphers have a traceable signal."

Sophie sighed. "Not underground like they are. We already tried. It's like they practically dropped off the face of the Earth."

Masters ran a hand over his face. "Okay, what about trying to see if the locations of the previous victims can give us any clues?"

"Nothing," Autumn shook her head. "Joey and I tried to put them together, but none of them have any real relation to each other. Neither do any of the victims identities or anything."

Lia walked over to look at the cork board and the evidence so far, before shaking her head. "This isn't good. Do you think the murderer knows that we got this case this morning? That might be his motive - maybe he wants us to stop looking for him."

"No one has been in here besides us," Owen responded. "I don't think they know anything about it. Besides, he didn't say anything about it when he called Tori."

Jason and Logan made their way into the room, Jason holding a file in his hands. "Okay, the drug found in the systems of all of the victims was from a brand known as Ketalar, and is commonly known as Ketamine or Special K."

Joey nodded slowly. "And that is?"

"It's a commonly used date rape drug," Jason responded. "It generally provides pain relief, sedation, and memory loss. Commonly given through injection or pill form."

Autumn made a face, "There's also side-effects. It can cause hallucinations, abnormal heartbeat, increased intracranial pressure, nausea, vomiting, etc. It's usually only safely used in critically ill or severally injured patients, and only when given by a medical professional."

"How do you know so much about that?" Tori looked up at her, a bit surprised.

"I'm a paramedic, remember?" Autumn responded. "Emma and I had a few cases with women who've been drugged."

Lia sighed. "Do you know how long it takes to wear off?"

"Depends," She shrugged. "I don't know how much they had in their system, but I'm sure they were aware of their situation at one point. They weren't unconscious the whole time."

"She's right," Logan said. "All of the victims were conscious some time while they were underground."

"So, at least one of them is conscious and aware?" Masters asked, crossing his arms.

Jason nodded. "Most likely."

"Well, then maybe we should try to get a message out to them." Joey suggested.

Sophie shook her head. "There's no way possible to do that. We've tried to find their morphing signal or contact them, but it doesn't register."

Tori slammed her fist on the table for the second time that day. "We have to do something!"

"We will," Andi assured her. "With all of us here, we've gotta find something that can lead them to us."

The red chief took in a deep breath. "I'm gonna go get some air. I'll be back in a few."

They watched her leave, and Sera was about to go after her, when Autumn stood up. "I'll go talk to her." She offered.

"Are you sure?" Joey asked. "Tori's pretty stressed out."

Autumn nodded. "Yeah, I got it." She said, walking out of the chief base.

\- PRER -

Taz rummaged through the compartments in the front of the car, trying to find anything they could use to call for help or get out of there. She opened the glove compartment, flipping papers around to find something.

"Taz, I don't think you're gonna find anything," Sean muttered, his breathing becoming slightly labored and very obvious to Taz. "He cleaned it out. We'll need another plan."

"What plan?" Taz said bitterly. "We're trapped underground in a car with no way to call for help. Haven't you seen the news? The Grave Digger is incredibly good at what he does. If they don't pay the ransom.. we're dead, and we both know that they won't and can't pay the ransom."

Sean sighed, leaning his head back against the slightly cool window. "We can't think like that?"

"'Think like that?'" Taz turned to him, looking at him like he was crazy. "Think with reality in mind? I can't pretend that everything is fine when I know it's not."

He shook his head. "They'll save us."

Taz scoffed. "What makes you so sure about that?"

Sean looked at her like he had never seen her before in his life. "Have you met these people? We work with them, and they're the best at what they do - we're the best at what we do. That's why we were chosen."

"So you think they can solve the unsolvable?" Taz asked.

He nodded. "Yes. We just have to have faith in them."

"Sometimes people you have faith in fail you," She pointed out. "They hurt you, even if they don't mean it. I'm sorry, but you know that's true."

"Of course I do," Sean said, trying to shift a bit so he could get more comfortable, though it wasn't really working. "But they never have, and neither have you. I hope you can see that."

Taz looked down. "You've never failed me, either."

"And I never want to," Sean assured her. "I.. you're just one of the people I would never want to let down."

"I feel the same way about that," Taz gave him a sad smile. "Which is why I'm sorry about all of this."

"Like I said earlier," He stopped her from speaking more. "It's not your fault, okay?" She nodded silently. "Okay well, look, even if they're looking for us, we still need to come up with a plan. Even though it's unlikely, is there anything up there?"

She gestured back. "I'll keep looking."

\- PRER -

Junior was at the airport for the private plane to be prepared for him while he waited near the gate to be escorted over there. As he waited, he couldn't help but feel dread in the pit of his stomach.

He kidnapped two people and was leaving them for dead, all so that he could go on the run and not get killed by Silas. While he was more afraid to face Silas, he was worried about the way his accomplice would react to his abandonment.

She was a ruthless person who would kill just because she wanted to, as well as for a ransom. She had never gotten caught, mostly because the majority of people thought she was a man, as well as the fact that she was so good at what she did.

This woman could do anything, and she knew how to hide it. She hired him because she knew about his need for money and his status as a police officer kept them better hidden from others.

While Junior wasn't fond of what he did, he kept doing it - more out of fear than for money, which is what it started out as.

"Sir," A voice said, and he looked up to see a flight attendant standing there. "Your flight is ready."

Junior stood up and nodded. "Alright. Can I make a phone call first? Just really quick? It's important."

The flight attendant smiled, "Of course sir. I'll be waiting by the gate to escort you when you're done with your call."

"Thank you," Junior gave her a smile back and stepped to the side. He looked up at the clock. "Okay, 9 and half hours left. They have time." He whispered, pulling out his phone and dialing a number.

\- PRER -

Autumn found Tori outside, leaning heavily against a wall with a hand over her face. She looked defeated and Autumn assumed that was probably how she felt as well, which made her sigh in sympathy. Autumn made her way closer to Tori, but stopped when she spoke.

"Nothing you say will make this any better, Autumn," Tori said, not looking at her. "Why don't you just go back inside?"

"Because you're hurting," Autumn responded, continuing to walk forward until she was standing next to the red chief. "We'll find them."

Tori scoffed. "You know, everyone keeps saying that and saying that but I don't see it happening. This is just gonna be like so many kidnappings where the case just goes cold and you never find out what happens. You never know if they're okay, but everyone just presumes them dead."

"Has this happened before?" Autumn asked quietly, immediately making Tori look over at her. "You don't have to tell me, but it seems like you have some history with something like this."

The red chief shook her head. "It doesn't matter."

Autumn frowned. "Yes, it does. Something so close to home can really take a toll on you. I know you don't want talk about it, and that's okay, but if you ever do, I'm here for you."

Tori looked down at the ground, a hard look crossing her face. "I won't, but thanks for the offer, I guess."

"You don't trust me," The red lieutenant concluded.

The other young woman chuckled humorlessly. "I don't, but that's not why I won't tell you. I haven't really told anybody.. I don't like to talk about it."

Autumn crossed her arms. "Why?"

"Why don't I like to talk about it?" Tori raised an eyebrow.

She shook her head. "No, why don't you trust me?"

Tori made a face. "I've only known you for a month. You expect me to just trust you on first glance?"

"No, but I thought we.. were past this," Autumn said. "Past all of this turmoil. Past you thinking I'm trying to steal your spot."

"There's no turmoil." Tori responded, frowning. "And by the way, it's not just about that. The more people there are, the more risks there are. The more likely it is for something to go wrong. Besides, when I really think about it, I wasn't worried about taking my spot - I'm a chief, you're a lieutenant. You're not on my level, and you probably never will be, so don't assume things."

"That's harsh," Autumn glared at her. "You know, I have been nothing but nice to you since I got here - I've been trying to help you - and all you've been doing is ordering me and my team around and being a bitch! What the hell is your problem?"

Tori shook her head. "Because I don't want to be your friend! I don't want to be anyone's friend; it gets in the way of doing my job! I mean, look at me! My two _friends_ have been kidnapped and it's making me so stressed out that I can't even think straight! My feelings towards them are getting in the way of me finding them."

Autumn frowned, playing idly with a strand of her hair. "Is that really how you feel?"

"Yes, it is," Tori crossed her arms and made a face, looking away from her. "And you..." She was cut off when her phone rang. The caller ID showed an unknown number, and she answered it immediately. "Hello?"

 _"Victoria Fray, I have some information that may be of use to you."_ The electronic sounding voice spoke. _"I'm going to tell you where your friends are."_

Tori's eyes widened, and she gestured for Autumn to come closer and listen in with her. "You're gonna tell me where they are?"

 _"Sean Francis and Fantasia Slide are buried in the valley nearest to your base of operations. They are 6 feet underground in a car, and have approximately 9 hours of air left. Sean Francis was injured and needs medical attention, while Fantasia Slide was unharmed. The car is located near a small tree above ground. I assume you can take it from here."_ The person said.

She frowned. "Why are you helping us? Who are you?"

The other end was silent for a moment, and Tori was almost worried that they hung up. _"I made a mistake getting into this. I started working for the Grave Digger for money, but I'm leaving now. You'll likely never hear of me again. I hope you catch her."_

Tori was about to respond, when she heard a _click_ once more as the line went dead. She then turned to Autumn. "We know where they are."

"And we know somethings about the Grave Digger," Autumn smiled as Tori did as well. "Let's go get them. I'll call Emma and have her get the ambulance over there."

The red chief nodded. "Alright, let's go!" She ordered as the two ran inside to get the others.

\- PRER -

Taz lifted up Sean's shirt once more, looking at the purple mark on his chest, and seeing how it had spread further across. It wasn't getting any better, and Taz knew Sean would go into shock soon if they didn't get help. He was already pale, shaky, and sweaty from blood loss.

"Did you.." Sean was trying to catch his breath, but it never seemed to stay for long. "Did you find anything?"

She shook her head. "No. How are you feeling?"

He frowned. "Hot, and dizzy."

Taz bit her lip. "Do you know what's wrong with you?"

"No," He made a face. "You haven't told me."

"Oh, okay," Taz sighed, looking down as she thought of how to speak. "I believe that you.. umm.. are internally bleeding. That's why you feel dizzy and hot; it's blood loss."

Sean looked alarmed. "Can you do something to stop it? Cause.. I really don't feel good," He slurred, before blinking and frowning oddly.

"Hey!" Taz grabbed his face as she saw his eyes start to fall closed. "You can't fall asleep or pass out on me. If you do, you might not wake up." He grimaced in pain. "Please. I can't loose you."

"You won't," He put his own hand up to her face and weakly wiped a tear off. "But just in case, I have to tell you something."

"Okay, what is it?" Taz asked, feigning a smile for his benefit.

Sean gave her a loopy smile back. "I love you."

"I..." Taz trailed off, shaking her head in a bit of confusion. "I already know that. I love you too. You're one of the best people I know."

He frowned. "No, that's not what I mean," He breathed out. "I'm in love with you, like.. Jack and Rose from the Titanic, you know what I mean?"

Taz stared at him for a moment. "You are?"

The blue chief nodded. "Yeah. Remember when we met at the academy? You were 18 or 19 and I was 20 or 21 and you had just gotten in; there a meet and greet that I was at and you were looking around. You looked so beautiful and I went over to introduce myself to show you around. Little did I know that we would both be the top contenders and get to be rangers together. You were just great from the moment I met you."

"I don't know what to say," She felt his hand slip over her's as it was resting on his face, and Taz smiled softly. "Is that why you haven't dated since we met?"

Sean shrugged. "Sorta. I mean, sometimes I think I just don't deserve love from anyone, but then I look at you and I want it so bad. At the same time, I think I deserve you the least. You're the most amazing person and I feel like I have enough to offer you."

She had a tear running down her face as she leaned forward and kissed him. "You have more than enough. I.. I love you too." Taz closed her eyes for a moment, but when she didn't get a response, she opened her eyes to see Sean's closed.

"Oh my god," She whispered, grasping his shoulders and shaking him lightly. "Sean? Sean! Please!" When he didn't stir, she put her fingers to his neck, and breathed a sigh of relief when she could feel his pulse under her fingers.

Just then, a loud _BANG!_ came from above her, and she looked up, startled, to see a dent that had just formed on the roof of the car. "Taz? Sean?" A voice yelled from above - a voice Taz recognized.

"Tori?" She called back. "Tori! Help! Sean's hurt!"

"We know! Duck!" Tori responded back, and Taz ducked over Sean as she heard a chainsaw revving up. Suddenly, the saw cut through the top of the car, and went around the whole roof until it was able to be pulled off.

The minute it was, Joey and Owen stepped down into the car, lifting Taz out before they led a few paramedics in to help Sean. Taz watched anxiously, until Autumn pulled her away. "Come on, you gotta get checked out, Taz. Sean will be alright - we're gonna meet him at the hospital."

Taz looked like she wanted to protest, but, instead she said, "Are you sure?"

"Positive." Autumn assured her, and Taz hesitantly let her take her away.

\- PRER -

The rangers, Masters, Lia, Sera, and Logan waited nervously in the waiting room, hoping for any good news on either Sean or Taz, the former of which had been whisked away to surgery immediately, while the latter was getting checked out by the ER doctors. While they did this, Sophie and Andi were off with the doctors, discuss the situation.

Autumn was standing to the side, next to Emma, who was looking at her strangely. "So, we haven't seen each other lately," Emma said. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to avoid me."

"But because you do know better?" Autumn looked up at her.

Emma shrugged. "Busy, maybe?"

"Yeah, quite a bit," Autumn nodded. "They said I might have to get a new partner too, just because they want all partners to both work at ER. It's not a big deal."

"It is to me," Emma crossed her arms. "That's the only real time we get to see each other."

Autumn frowned. "Well, I don't really know what to say. I can't just tell them no - it's not my decision." She shook her head. "Look, this isn't the time to have this conversation, Emma. Can we talk about it when there isn't a possibility of someone dying?"

"Sure," Emma leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, and Autumn did nothing about it. "I love you."

The red lieutenant didn't look at her. "Love you too."

Just then, Andi and Sophie made their way into the room, having been talking to the doctors to see if they could find out anything. "How are they?" Masters asked as the large group all crowded over to the two.

"Taz should be fine, just some bruising on her arms and a slight headache from the drugs," Andi said, before looking to Sophie.

Sophie sighed. "Sean just got out of surgery - he did well, but it's gonna be a while before he wakes up or gets back to work. His liver had a small laceration, his wrist was sprained, and his knee was fractured, as well as a small cut above his eyebrow. Other than that, he's alright and the doctors are hopeful."

"A while before he wakes up?" Joey repeated, frowning deeply. "How long is a while?"

"It's hard to tell," Andi told them. "Most likely a day or two, but he'll be in the hospital for about two or so weeks, and he can return to work in 6 to 8."

"So, he'll be alright, then?" Tori asked, crossing her arms.

Sophie nodded. "Yes. He's in recovery right now, and we'll be able to see him one at a time by tomorrow, since it's getting late tonight."

"What about Taz? Where is she?" Nikki asked, looking around.

Andi gestured behind her. "They're gonna keep her tonight to make sure there aren't any side effects of the Ketamine, but they're both gonna be alright."

Autumn looked at the group. "Should we wait here to hear more?"

Lia shook her head. "No, we should all get home and get some rest. We all had a long day, and I know we need it." She and Masters led the group out, making sure they all made it out and on their ways alright.

\- PRER -

Thorn walked carefully into Silas' study, not exactly wanting to give him the news he had, but knowing that he had to. He opened the door quietly, though he was stopped when he saw Silas talking to a woman inside the room. She had long brown hair and dark skin, and was wearing a blue button-up dress with white heels.

When Thorn entered, they stopped talking. The woman looked back at him out of the corner of her eye. "What is he doing in here?"

"Ah, I'm glad he's here," Silas stood and pulled Thorn over, showing him to the woman. "This is Edgar Thorne; Thorn, this is Cora Wilson, better known as the _real_ Grave Digger."

Cora looked Thorn up and down. "Nice to meet you," She said in a smooth voice.

Thorn nodded. "Umm, sir?" Silas looked over at him. "The blue and green chief rangers were rescued earlier today."

Silas made a face. "We're aware. Junior failed, but Cora never has."

"So, is she going to capture the rangers again?" Thorn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course not," Cora looked at him like he was stupid. "Do you think I'm an idiot? I'm going into hiding - I have no idea what Junior told the rangers about my operations. Once I assume that it's safe again, perhaps in 6 months or maybe even a year, I'll be returning with a new apprentice to kidnap one of the rangers."

The crime lord smirked. "I've given her a ticket to Costa Rica, where she'll remain until she's ready to come back. When she is.. we'll come up with a plan. Until then, you and I can handle things on our own.. The rangers have no idea what's coming to them."

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Emergency Responders:** Autumn must break it to Emma that she's not working with her anymore, which prompts Emma to become overly attached, making Autumn question whether or not to continue their relationship. Meanwhile, Sean gets out of the hospital and has a pleasant surprise thrown his way.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Partner

 **So, Sean and Taz are safe, and Junior escaped. I know you probably wanted him to get caught, but he will be back in a later chapter, as will the real Grave Digger, Cora, with a new plan. Also, if you were wondering why Sean remembered Junior's attack and Taz didn't, it's because, while she was drugged, he wasn't due to his injuries, which means he didn't forget who attacked them.**

 **This is my second chapter in my birthday mass update, and I'll be updating Rainbow Fighters and Earth Defenders sometime before the day ends as well, so you should check those out if you haven't already!**

 **Anyways, here's the lineup for the next five chapters!**

 **Ep 10: Owen's Success -** Owen focused chapter.

 **Ep 11: Home Is Where The Heart Is -** Joey focused chapter.

 **Ep 12: Test -** Nikki focused chapter.

 **Ep 13: Kidnapping Reds -** Tori and Autumn focused chapter. Possibly a two-parter.

 **Ep 14: Purple Lieutenant -** New ranger appears!

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you guys back with the next one!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	10. Ep 9: Partner

**Hey guys! Sorry it took so long to get the next chapter out, but the holidays have been hectic! Anyways, Happy New Years to you guys! Enjoy!**

 **Also, this takes place about 2-3 weeks after the last chapter.**

 **Nat is portrayed by Emma Roberts**

* * *

Autumn walked out of a small white house with her medical bag in hand and her uniform on. She walked around the back of the ambulance and opened up the back doors, climbing up inside and finding a place to put her bag down. As she did so, she could feel Emma's eyes boring into her back and sighed.

"What's wrong?" She asked, not looking up.

Emma looked away slightly, a bit embarrassed that she had been caught staring. "Oh, nothing. So.. what happened?"

Autumn shrugged. "Simple case of a kid falling off of the monkey bars at the park. He was fine - just a few bumps and bruises. Nothing to do, really."

"That's it?" Emma chuckled. "Sometimes people worry too much."

The red lieutenant made a face. "Hey, better to be safe than sorry, right? I mean, the kid could've broken his arm or got a concussion if he fell a certain way. If I didn't know any better, I would've called too. Or, at least make an appointment with my son's pediatrician."

"Whoa, I wasn't trying to be rude," Emma frowned as Autumn hopped out of the back and closed the doors. She walked around and got into the passenger seat, so Emma continued talking. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing," Autumn shook her head, before letting out a long breath. "Actually, something. ER wants me to have a new partner."

"What?" Emma was taken aback, scowling. "Why in the world would they do that?"

Autumn sighed. "Because ER wants me to work with someone who works there. I don't work for the hospital anymore - I work for ER, and they want me to have a partner who does too."

"Okay, then I should get a job there." Emma crossed her arms.

"No," Autumn shook her head, frowning at her. "You shouldn't. You should continue to work at the hospital. I think having a little change of pace is a good idea."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "So, you don't want to work with me anymore?"

"That's not what I said," Autumn replied exasperatedly.

The blonde in the driver's seat glared at the brunette next to her. "This is the only time I see you anymore. You're always busy nowadays."

Autumn nodded, "Yeah, helping people; saving lives. Look, I'm sorry you're upset, but I don't have a choice in the matter. I have a job to do." She looked forward and refused to look back at Emma. "Can you just drop me off at ER? I need to give some paperwork to Masters and Lia for the official transfer."

"Fine," Emma looked forward as well and started the ambulance up. She opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it and just drove towards ER in silence.

 **\- Cue Opening -**

Masters and Lia were chatting in the chief base as they were waiting for any new cases when Autumn walked in, fully in uniform and holding a few forms in her hand. Her hair was tied back in a bun and she looked very professional, unlike her usual casual style.

Also in the chief base were Joey, Sera, and Logan, who all looked up when Autumn walked in.

"Wow," Joey commented, looking her over. "I don't think I've every seen you in your full uniform before now."

Autumn looked over at him and chuckled, "Yeah, I only wear it on the job, but I didn't have time to change before I got here. Emma dropped me off." She handed Lia her papers, which Masters quickly ended up grabbing. "I had to bring my paperwork for my official transfer over here."

Sera raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You haven't done it yet?"

"Well, I've done everything except the partner transfer," Autumn responded. "I was holding out until the last minute because of Emma."

Logan gave her a confused look, "What made you change your mind now?"

"Emma and I are growing apart," Autumn sighed. "She's been clinging to me for dear life recently and I know it's because she can tell that our relationship is.. ending."

"That's not good," Sera frowned. "Are you gonna do anything to avoid that?"

"Honestly?" Autumn rubbed a hand over her face in a tired manner. "No. I really don't think we're compatible anymore. We've changed and I would feel horrible to continue something that I'm not really feeling. I think we're gonna break up."

Joey nodded. "That's a good idea. No sense in leading her on."

Masters looked through the paperwork before looking back up at her. "I think I can get you a partner. There's someone we've been considering for a chief position and I believe she'd be a good match for you."

"Me working with a chief?" Autumn crossed her arms with an amused look on her face. "Wow, I thought we lieutenants were still second best."

"You still are," Masters said, keeping a straight face. "But that doesn't mean that we wouldn't work with you, as you've probably noticed. We're just more skilled than you are - it's not personal. We wouldn't work with you at all if it was."

Autumn's face fell, and she frowned. "So why do you even keep us around if you guys are so amazing?"

"Because we can't take on everything," Masters responded honestly. "Look, I'll go see what I can do about a partner for you and come retrieve you when I do. I'll be coming to get you from the lieutenant base, so stay around there."

When he left, Lia sighed. "Don't take it personally, Autumn," She assured her. "It's just something that we have to accept. We're second-in-command, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. All of the chiefs worked very hard to get into the position they're in, just remember that."

Autumn nodded, and followed Lia on her way back to the lieutenant base, still a bit irked about what Masters had said. She understood that they were the second best team, but it didn't mean that they weren't great rangers and didn't have great skills.

She always felt like the chiefs were undermining them, even if they didn't mean to. Autumn sighed and pushed the thoughts out of her head, as she knew it wasn't worth it to dwell on as she made her way into the base.

\- PRER -

Sean sat in his hospital bed, flipping through the utterly boring channels that he was seeing on the television in front of him. Since he was considered an 'important person' in Waverly, he got a room to himself and the hospital staff made sure that no reporters were allowed through to talk to him about what happened. While he appreciated the privacy, it was a bit lonely when he could only talk to his friends and family when they had time to visit.

His injuries were also on the more severe side, having been rushed into surgery the minute he arrived at the hospital. He felt much better at the moment, though, with his leg in a cast and elevated, and his internal injuries healing nicely. His wrist had also been sprained, but had healed in the time he had been there already.

He was very glad to be getting out of the hospital, and was waiting for Sera to pick him up after her shift that day.

As he scrolled through the TV channels, a knock took him away from his mind numbing task and made him look over to see Tori poke her head through the door. She smiled when they made eye contact and entered the room, wearing a more casual outfit than normal, with a simple red blouse, black jeans, and a pair of black boots on.

"Hmm," He chuckled a bit as she walked over to sit in a chair next to his bed. "You look like someone I may know, but she's more of the 'obsessed with my work' type."

Tori chuckled with him. "Oh, ha-ha." She rolled her eyes fondly. "So, how are you feeling? Ready to get discharged later?"

Sean nodded. "Definitely. I feel a lot better than I did two weeks ago - antsy to get out of here. This place makes me stir-crazy."

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better," Tori sobered, her facial expression one of worry, though she'd probably never admit that she felt that way. "Your injuries were pretty bad. We didn't get to see you at all until you were out of surgery and were awake."

He cringed. "Yeah, I heard it was pretty bad. I mean, obviously it hurt but I had no idea it was so serious until Taz told me," He pursed his lips. "So, Taz was okay?"

"Yeah," Tori said. "She was fine - drugged, but fine. She got discharged the next day. Sat in here most of the night and until she left, though."

"Really?" Sean asked. "'Cause I haven't seen her since."

"Oh, well it's definitely not personal," Tori responded. "We told her to rest and recover from what happened, so that might be why she hasn't shown up."

Sean looked down. "Might be."

Tori frowned. "What? What's wrong?"

"I told her that I was in love with her," Sean replied, looking back up at Tori. "I'm worried I might have scared her off."

The red chief sat back in shock. "Wow, I didn't expect that so soon. I mean, I didn't think you would really tell her so.. suddenly."

"Yeah, well I thought I was gonna die." He muttered. "I couldn't die without her knowing that."

"How'd she take it?"

"I don't remember," Sean said. "I lost consciousness right after I said it. Perfect timing, huh?"

Tori breathed out and nodded, "All I can say is that I know Taz cares a lot about you, and she'd be crazy not to go for you." She leaned forward. "Taz loves you too, it's just a matter of _how_ she loves you. I'm sure that's not the reason she's not here right now."

"You think?"

Tori smiled. "Positive." She opened her mouth to say more when her phone beeped. She took it out of her pocket and sighed. "It's from Logan. He said there are some cases for me to look at." Tori stood up. "Sera'll be here later to pick you up, okay? Just call if you need anything."

Sean nodded. "Alright. See you, Tori." He watched her leave, before sighing and leaning back into bed, going back to his mindless scrolling through the channels on the TV.

\- PRER -

"You know, this is cool," Owen commented as he leaned back in his chair outside of the restaurant he, Jason, and Nikki were eating at for lunch. "We never just hang out and eat lunch together - we're always busy with cases."

Nikki looked over at him, smirking. "We're still on a case, Owen."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, we're here trying to find the guys who dine and dash. Big deal,"

"They don't just dine and dash," Nikki chuckled. "They also steal money from the restaurant itself. The reason we're here is to stake out since this is their next most likely location."

Owen leaned forward and looked across at her. "Are these guys armed?"

"Not sure," Nikki said. "A few locations reported that they had guns, but others didn't."

"Should we be worried?" Jason asked, taking a sip of his water. He felt a bit out of place butting into their conversation, though he also felt like he was being too quiet and wanted to speak. Neither Owen nor Nikki seem to notice his slight discomfort, which made him feel a bit better.

Nikki shrugged. "Worse comes to worse, we can always morph. Hopefully, it doesn't come to that."

"Who's in the car?" Owen asked, looking across the street.

She looked over as well. "Oh, that's Cody Hatenberg, a police officer. He's waiting to take the perps to the station, should they arrive."

Owen made a face, "You think these guy would show up with a cop across the street?"

Nikki didn't seem worried. "Well, Cody is undercover and in a completely normal looking vehicle, so I don't see why they wouldn't. I mean, he doesn't look like a cop from here, does he?"

"Not really," Jason input. "Are you sure it'll be fine, though?"

Hearing a shout coming from inside the restaurant, Nikki nodded. "Yeah, I think so." The three stood up and, with Nikki in front, walked in through the front door carefully. They looked in front of them and saw a fight going on in front of the register, with a man trying to fight off the two criminals, who had a small bag of money in one of their hands each.

Owen immediately walked forward, letting Nikki and Jason show their badges to the people in the restaurant and calm them down while he broke up the fight. He grabbed ahold of one of the criminals, both of whom had ganged up on the man who tried to stop them, and ripped him away from the fight.

The criminal elbowed Owen in the face, disorienting him for a slight moment before Owen grabbed him by the arms and pushed him onto the ground, taking out a pair of handcuffs he had been given when he became a ranger and handcuffed the man.

He looked up to see Jason pull the other man away and handcuff him against a wall before Nikki helped the man on the floor up. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," The man nodded. "Are they going to jail?"

Nikki looked at the two criminals, "Yes, they will be going to jail. We have an officer outside to take them to the station right now," She gestured for Jason and Owen, who's nose was bleeding from the elbow he took to the face, to take them outside. "I'm going to call for more officers to take witness statements, so please remain calm and stay here until they arrive."

"You're not going to be doing it?" A woman in the crowd asked.

"No, I work for ER - I'm the yellow lieutenant ranger. We only focus on superhuman crime, but an officer asked us if we could help catch them, and our head lieutenant, Detective Lia Carter, decided that we should help out while we're free," Nikki explained. "I'm going to call for the other officers, just stay calm. You're all safe." She assured them, before stepping to the side to call it in.

\- PRER -

Tori was in the chief base, looking through a few case files when she saw Joey walk in and sit beside her at the table, peering over to see the cases she was looking at. She looked over at him curiously.

"Hey, do you know why Taz hasn't gone to see Sean?" Tori asked a bit suddenly.

Joey frowned. "She hasn't gone to see him? That's crazy - Taz loves Sean! She wouldn't even leave the room until she was discharged from the hospital."

"I know," Tori nodded. "That's why it's so strange."

"What does Sean think?" Joey asked.

Tori sighed, "He thinks it's because he told her that he's in love with her and that it scared her off."

"Well, maybe." Joey looked at her. "What do you think?"

"What do I think?" Tori repeated, looking at him with a confused expression.

"Yeah. I mean, you're pretty close to them," Joey responded. When Tori opened her mouth to speak, Joey cut her off. "Don't act like you guys are just partners because I know you guys are friends."

Tori crossed her arms. "How would you know? Maybe I'm concerned about my partners' wellbeing. I don't let my feelings get in the way of my job."

"Not saying you do," Joey mimicked her position. "But, you were really worried when we were looking for them, and don't try to deny it because it was the most obvious thing in the world."

The red chief looked down at the ground, "They're my partners - my teammates. I could never let anything happen to them and be able to live with myself."

Joey nodded. "I know, and there's nothing wrong with that. You would put your life on the line for them, and they would for you too."

"I.. yeah," Tori pursed her lips. "I know."

The yellow chief smirked slightly. "Hey, that just means you guys are close - you care about each other, and there's nothing wrong with that. I care about them too, if it makes you feel any better."

Tori chuckled. "Wow, I never would've guessed," She smiled slightly. "They care about you too."

Joey leaned back, a simper on his face. "Yeah, and I know you do too. Don't worry, you don't have say it," He said. "Cause I believe you do, no matter what you say."

"I wasn't gonna say anything," Tori shrugged, before handing him a folder. "Look, not that I don't find this conversation riveting, but we have to look into these."

He took the folder, "Whatever you say, Tori." Joey stated, still with a simper plastered on his face.

\- PRER -

Autumn walked through the grassy area in the middle of ER towards some of the trainees with Masters, him walking ahead of her to find her new partner. He walked over to a hallway that led to a few rooms with future paramedics training for when they really went out in the field.

He stopped in a room where there was a female recruit standing, having just gotten dressed back into her street clothes from her paramedic uniform and looked like she was getting ready to go for lunch. She had pale skin, long blonde hair, green eyes, and stood at about 5'2. She wore a pink crop top, black skinny jeans, a light black and pink jacket that was currently tied around her waist, and pink high-tops.

When they walked in, she looked up from her phone, which she was using to text someone. "Oh hey, Mr. Masters." She smiled. "What's going on?"

Autumn looked up at Masters, a bit surprised that this young woman knew him, though she said nothing. "Natasha Porter, this is Autumn DeWitt, the red lieutenant ranger."

Natasha turned her gaze towards Autumn, and smiled. "Hey, nice to meet you." She shook her hand. "You can call me Nat,"

"Okay, Nat," Autumn smiled back. "It's nice to meet you too."

Masters cleared his throat. "Natasha, you'll working with Autumn as her partner on duty starting tomorrow."

"Really?" Nat asked, her smile brightening. "That's awesome! I'm excited to get out on the field."

"I'm sure you are," Masters nodded, his expression neutral. "You're free to go to lunch now, but meet Autumn in the lieutenant base first thing in the morning for your task."

"Of course," Nat said. "I'll be there. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity, Mr. Masters."

He shot her an obligatory smile and allowed her to leave, before looking at Autumn. "Are you pleased with your new partner?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Autumn responded. She paused for a moment, before continuing. "So, how did she know you? I mean, she's still just a recruit, even if you think she's chief material."

"I take more of an interest in recruits I believe can make it to chief status," Masters responded. "I watch them a bit more closely and make sure they're continuing on the right spot and see what kind of person they are before I actually bring them on. There's a process that goes into finding the right recruits."

Autumn frowned. "Really? Then why was I brought on as a lieutenant so quickly?"

Masters shrugged. "Lia isn't as detailed as I am in my search. Besides, you had a recommendation from one of your fellow lieutenants, as well as from Victoria, so it's not like she hadn't been watching you."

"Wait, I had a recommendation from Tori?" Autumn asked, a bit shocked. "When did this happen?"

He thought for a moment. "I believe a few months before you became a ranger. At the time, we were trying to create the lieutenant squad, and she said she thought you would be the perfect leader for the team." Masters patted her on the shoulder. "Like I said, we always watch the right recruits."

Autumn watched him leave and still stood there, stunned for a few moments before following him back to the base.

\- PRER -

Nikki walked outside after the other officers arrive, smirking a bit when she saw Owen sitting there with a napkin pressed up against his nose. She walked towards him, chuckling a bit.

"You okay?" She asked, the smirk still on her face.

Owen rolled his eyes at her expression. "I'm fine. Damn guy just got one over one me when I wasn't expecting it."

"Yeah, I was gonna say that it's probably best if you don't stand right behind a guy's elbow," Nikki joked, sitting down next to him at the table. "You know, it was brave of you to just run in there and stop the fight, even though you didn't know if the guys were armed or not."

"Nah," Owen shook his head. "Just doing my job, you know? And to think I almost became a baseball player."

Nikki raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really? What changed your mind?"

"Well, if I'm gonna be honest," He sighed. "I wanted to be a fireman like my older brother, Wade, was. He had an accident and can't do it anymore, so I wanted to honor him by doing the same thing. I really love my job now, so I'm glad I decided to do this."

The yellow lieutenant nodded. "He worked for ER, didn't he? I remember hearing about it - I'm sorry. Is he alright?"

Owen looked down. "No, not really. He's in a wheelchair and really depressed, so..." He shrugged. "He just wishes he could still do his job; he loved it. I feel bad that I can't help him, and I feel like he gets upset that I'm doing his job."

Nikki had a sympathetic expression on her face, "He's probably worried about something happening to you like that."

"Yeah, I know," Owen looked back up at her. "Truthfully, I get worried about that too. It's scary to think about something happening on the job, especially since I'm a ranger now along with being a fireman."

She smiled slightly, "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I get worried about getting hurt on the job too. It's a scary thought, but it makes me treasure the good moments I have."

"Me too," He smiled back at her. "Thanks."

"For what?" Nikki frowned in confusion.

"For making me feel better," He responded. "I don't usually tell people about those things, but.. I don't know, it's easy to talk to you, so thank you for that."

Nikki blushed slightly. "No problem."

\- PRER -

Autumn stood outside of ER later that night, looking at her texts and thinking about how to respond to them, or if to even do so at all. They were all from Emma, apologizing for that morning and asking her to just talk to her. Autumn had read them when she first got them, but still hadn't responded a few hours later.

"Hey," A voice brought her out of her thoughts, and she looked over to see Tori standing there, looking like she was about to walk the other way, but had clearly seen the look on her face of indecisiveness.

The red lieutenant tried to smile, "Hey. What's up?"

"I could be asking you the same thing," Tori, against her better judgement, made her way over to Autumn, her arms crossed. "Are you okay? You look.. upset."

"Yeah," Autumn looked down. "I guess I am. I think I'm gonna let go of Emma, my girlfriend. We just don't have a good relationship anymore, you know?"

Tori nodded. "Yeah, I get that,"

"She's become really clingy and gets mad that I'm working and it's just too much," Autumn said, before looking up at Tori and chuckling humorlessly. "I'm sorry, you probably have better things to do than listen to my drama."

She shrugged. "I'm not sure about that. All I was gonna do was go grab something to eat and go home, so it's not really too important."

Autumn rubbed a hand down her face. "Are you sure?"

Tori chuckled lightly. "I'm pretty sure. I don't have anyone waiting for me or anything like that, so I think I'm good."

"Well, aren't you hungry, though?" Autumn asked.

The red chief looked pulled her phone out and looked at the time. "Yeah, a little." She paused for a moment, before gesturing with her head behind her. "I probably should grab something to eat. If you want, you can.. come with and talk," Tori quickly added, "If you need to. I don't have anything better to do."

Autumn smirked slightly. "So is this you being a friend, or you being a coworker?"

"We're not on the job, right?" Tori said. "I mean, I don't really know you well enough for you to be or not to be my friend. For now, let's just stay with acquaintances."

"Okay," Autumn nodded. "Sounds fair, but I have a question. Should I just not take anything you say on the job personally?"

"Look," Tori smiled a bit, obviously trying to hide her amusement. "Do you want to go or not?"

Autumn put her hands up in surrender. "I do. Can I just send a quick text first?"

"Yeah, sure," Tori said, looking away to give her a bit of privacy.

The red lieutenant unlocked her phone and read through the texts, before sending one of her own, **I can't do this anymore.** After she sent it, she took a deep breath and shoved her phone down into her pocket, before turning to Tori. "Okay, I'm ready."

\- PRER -

Sean had thanked Sera for dropping him off at his apartment, and made his way up the elevator to his floor. Once he was up there, he walked with his crutches over to his door and pulled his key out of his pocket, balancing his weight on the crutches as he jammed the key into the lock and unlocked the door, pushing it open while he put the key back in his pocket.

When the door was open, he was surprised to see a bottle of sparkling water sitting on his counter with two champagne glasses next to it. He frowned and closed the door behind him, walking up to the bottle and looking it over. Also on the counter was a vase with flowers and a card.

"I know you can't drink until you're healed up," A voice came from behind him. "So I got that." He turned to see Taz standing there, looking at him a bit shyly. "I hope you like it."

He stared at her in shock. "Taz. I.. I thought you..." He trailed off, not knowing what to say. "What are you doing here?"

Taz walked towards him a bit. "Well, I was bringing some things over and your mom said you couldn't stay alone like this. She was gonna stay here with you, but I told her I would do it for her. I hope that's alright."

Sean smiled. "That's perfect," He said breathlessly. "I thought I scared you off or something."

"What? Why?" Taz frowned.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I guess because I told you I loved you and I thought you might not have returned the feelings or something."

"That's crazy," She walked forward and put a hand on his cheek. "I.. I love you too. I kissed you in the car, don't you remember that?"

"No, I passed out right after I told you. The next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital," Sean told her. "Why didn't you visit me?"

"I couldn't see you like that," Taz rubbed her arm and looked down guiltily. "I was so scared of what happened to you and I didn't want to see you in pain."

Sean nodded. "That makes sense. I just thought you were too scared to visit me because you didn't know what to say."

"Of course not," Taz leaned up and kissed him lightly. "I love you."

"I love you too." Sean smiled, leaning down to kiss her again. "Are you gonna stay?"

Taz nodded. "I'd never wanna leave."

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Emergency Responders:** The lieutenants get a case of new criminal is going around and committing arson, but are stumped as to who the person is, leading Owen to go off on his own to find out who it is.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Owen's Success

 **So, Sean and Taz are officially the first couple in this series! I'm so excited that I finally got them together, and their relationship will grow and shape as the series goes on.**

 **Anyways, this is the second chapter I'm posting for the New Years, and I really hope you guys liked it! Keep in mind I'm still not done with the next chapter for Rainbow Fighters or Earth Defenders, but I'm gonna try really hard to get them up in the next two day, but if not, don't worry because they will be up ASAP.**

 **I also put up a poll, and I'm finding out that your guys' favorite story of mine is this one, so thank you guys for all of your support! I really appreciate it!**

 **Here's the lineup for the next five chapters!**

 **Ep 11: Home Is Where The Heart Is -** Joey focused chapter.

 **Ep 12: Test -** Nikki focused chapter.

 **Ep 13: Kidnapping Reds -** Tori and Autumn focused chapter. Possibly a two-parter.

 **Ep 14: Purple Lieutenant -** New ranger appears!

 **Ep 15: Nutrition -** Taz focused chapter.

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you guys back with the next one!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	11. Ep 10: Owen's Success

**Hey guys! I know it's been a long while since I've updated this, and I'm really sorry about that. I had to finish an arc on Guardians of the Galaxy and then a lot happened in my personal life that I didn't expect, so I didn't know how long that would take! To make it up to you, I'm going to post two chapters for this story today! Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

It was early in the morning, and Joey and Owen had already been called to come out and put out a fire. Generally, Owen was only sent to minor fires since he was the only lieutenant fireman, but, because it was so early, he was asked to go in with the chiefs to help.

Unfortunately, this also meant that he was shoved aside and forced to stand by while the chiefs handled it. He crossed his arms and watched them, wondering why they even called him if they weren't going to let him do anything.

The fire was going out because of the sprays from the hoses, but it was still too hot to send any of them in to search for any people.

Owen walked over to Joey, who was monitoring the situation. "Why are we just standing by? Can't we go in and search for people yet?"

"It's too hot to send anyone in safely," Joey responded. "Can't you feel that heat? Besides, we don't know if the building is structurally strong enough to stay up while we go in there."

"Joey, I can't feel the heat," Owen said, as if it was obvious. "Literally. My ability is fire manipulation - I could walk right in there and look for people without getting burned."

Joey looked over at him in surprise. "Seriously? Why didn't you say something before?"

"I'm not used to working with others on fires." Owen muttered. "So, should I go or...?"

The yellow chief gestured quickly. "Go now! Before anyone sees you - I'm not really supposed to let you do this."

Owen made a face. "Yeah, I figured." He moved out of the way and passed behind multiple other chief firemen before he found and opening into the building and walked in. He put his mask quickly over his face and walked through the burning building, being glad he couldn't feel the flames licking at his body.

He found some stairs and was about to walk up them when part of the upper floor collapsed onto them, a body on top of it. Owen stared in shock and grabbed the body, hoisting it over his shoulders to bring it out, though he wasn't sure if the person was dead or alive. Walking back to move out of the building since he knew it was unsafe to walk upstairs, he saw a girl standing in the doorway.

"Hey!" He exclaimed, running forward to shove her out of the way of the fire. Firemen ran over, as did paramedics, and Owen put the burnt body onto a gurney before ripping off his mask and turning to the girl with a glare. "What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

"Are you?" Another chief fireman came up to him, yelling. "No one was allowed to go in there until the fire was out! I knew we shouldn't have let a lieutenant on the job - that why I showed up!"

Joey came quickly over and put a hand on the other fireman's shoulder, pulling him away from Owen. "Whoa, Lawrence, calm down. I told Owen it was fine - his power keeps him safe."

"Yeah, besides, if I didn't go in there, that girl may not have made it out." Owen defended himself.

"Wait a minute," Lawrence looked him over. "Owen? Like Wade's kid brother?"

Owen was taken aback by his recognition, and nodded slowly. "Yeah. How did you know that?"

Lawrence raised an eyebrow, "Wade and I were good friends a few years ago. You've never heard of me?"

He shook his head. "No, I haven't."

"Joey," A paramedic came up to him. "The guy; he's gone. Burnt pretty badly." He said, referring to the body found in the building.

Joey sighed. "Alright." He looked up at the building, "The fire's going down. We'll be able to send people in there to check it out soon - test the integrity and see how safe we'll be inside."

"And in the meantime," Owen turned to the girl, who was standing there with a worried facial expression. "You need to go stand to the side with the others, behind that line." He gestured to the crowd of people standing behind crime tape. "And if we catch you over here again, you can be punished by law."

She nodded and walked over to behind the line, while Owen turned back to watch the fire dwindle out.

 **\- Cue Opening -**

Owen got back to ER, a bit tired from the event of that morning. He walked into the lieutenant base, rubbing a hand over his face, only to see Lia giving Autumn a folder for their next case.

"Seriously?" Owen whined slightly as he came in. "I just put out a fire and we're already getting a new case?"

Lia chuckled lightly. "Luckily for you, it's the same case you were dealing with this morning - arson."

He frowned, "I thought the chiefs were handling that."

"So did I," Lia nodded. "But since Sean is just getting back, they're taking it easy and taking on a simple robbery, which is what we were supposed to have."

Nikki raised an eyebrow. "You'd think they wouldn't be able to pass this one up."

Lia gave her a slightly amused look. "You would, but they did. It doesn't matter how you feel about this, but this is good for us. It could get us more recognition - the recognition we actually deserve."

Jason sighed, "If we can solve it."

"We can; we just have to work on it whenever we can." Autumn assured him with a smile. "We can handle this, trust me. We wouldn't be working here if we wouldn't, right?"

"She's not wrong," Owen agreed.

"So, if you were working on this in the morning," Nikki started, leaning on the console in front of her. "I wouldn't suppose you know anything about this case so far, would you?"

Owen chuckled and sat down, leaning back in the chair. "I know that they think it was the John Doe that they found burned in the building; he's the main suspect, but I've heard there were two others."

"You're right." Andi rolled her chair over to the others. "There are two other suspects they want you to talk to," She grabbed the case file from Autumn and looked it over. "A girl named Carly Lambert and a man named Douglas Kane."

Jason frowned, "Douglas Kane? The convicted arsonist?"

Nikki made a face. "Oh yeah, he totally didn't do it."

"It might not be as obvious as you may think," Lia reminded her. "I want you guys to split up - Jason and Autumn will stay here to look at the body of our John Doe and go over any more evidence, while Nikki and Owen will go talk a bit to our other suspects and see if they can get anything to bring them in for further questioning."

"Alright, sounds like a plan." Owen pushed himself to his feet and gestured for Nikki to follow. "You ready?"

She nodded. "Ready!" Nikki smiled.

"Be careful!" Sophie called to them as they left.

\- PRER -

Taz followed closely by Sean as he slightly limped in to the chief base. His leg was much better, no longer in a cast since it was healing nicely, though it was still sore and he still had a bit of physical therapy to do before he was cleared for duty. That, however, didn't mean that he couldn't come in and help from the office, even if he couldn't go out on the field.

"Are you sure you're ready to come back to work?" Taz questioned worriedly. "I mean, you're still recovering."

He chuckled at her worry. "Hardly; the doctor said I'd be back on the regular job within the next few weeks," Sean stopped and turned to her, grabbing her lightly by the shoulders. "I promise you that I'm alright." He kissed her forehead. "Okay?"

She sighed, "Okay, but you'd tell me the minute anything was wrong, right?"

"Of course." Sean nodded.

The two entered the base, and immediately saw all eyes turn on them. Tori and Joey, in particular, stood up and walked over to them, Joey clapping Sean on the shoulder with a cheery smile.

"Look at that," He said proudly. "Sean's back at work. How you doing, man?"

"I feel great, considering everything." Sean responded. "Definitely ready to get back to work."

"Well, no field duty until you're cleared by your doctor," Tori crossed her arms. "Not gonna let you get hurt any worse."

Sean rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, but I'll go with it because I know Masters would have my head if I didn't."

"You're right about that." Masters agreed as he walked up to them, putting a hand on Sean shoulder, similarly to Joey. "I don't care how well you feel, you're not getting back out there without your doctor's consent. Even then, I might have to have Sera check you out to make sure you're good."

Tori gave him a smirk. "Wow, the royal treatment. You're really lucky, Sean." She stopped as she was about to walk by him. "You should've just listened to me - I would have been easier about it."

He grabbed her arm for a moment. "I'm glad that you're so happy to have me back."

She scoffed lightly. "Just let me know when you can be cleared for duty. We're a little short-handed."

"Is she always like that?" Joey muttered as Tori walked away. "I mean, I know I haven't been here that long, but seriously, that girl is stoic."

Taz smiled fondly. "Tori isn't really that bad. She does care - a lot, in fact - but she doesn't want it to get in the way of her work. You should try to spend time with her outside of work; she's different."

Joey nodded. "Maybe I will, if she'll let me."

"Alright," Masters announced. "Get back to work, guys. This isn't free time."

As the three rangers moved back to their positions, Lia poked her head around the corner. "Masters," She called, attracting his attention. "We gotta..."

He walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder to push her slightly out of the room with himself. "Yeah, I know. Let's go," Masters turned back into the room. "Sera, Logan, let's go."

The two interns finished their work quickly and stood up, following them quickly out of the room.

\- PRER -

Owen and Nikki made their way up to Douglas Kane's house, who they both figured would probably be the most likely suspect in the crime. As they did, Owen spotted a familiar face looking in the windows of said house.

"Who's that?" Nikki asked, frowning at the man's behavior.

"A chief fireman." Owen muttered, walking ahead of her and up to the bottom of the steps of the house. "Lawrence." He called, startling the man into turning around. "What the hell are you doing?"

Lawrence smiled nonchalantly. "Hey, it's Wade's kid brother. What is it again? Oscar?"

"Owen." He responded irritatedly. "Now maybe you can answer _my_ question."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Lawrence shrugged. "I was looking into this guy cause I figured he'd be the prime suspect, being a convicted arsonist and all. What are you doing here?"

"I'm one of the lieutenants," Owen held up his badge, one that came with his position as a ranger. "This is my partner, Nikki. We're investigating, and we'd appreciate it if you would leave so we can do our job and bring this guy down, if need be."

The chief fireman gave him a glare for a moment, before nodding and stepping down from the porch. "Of course. Please, go ahead. I'm leaving."

"Good," Owen grumbled as they watched him disappear down the street.

Nikki looked up at him. "Friend of yours?" She asked, a hint of teasing in her voice.

Owen rolled his eyes. "Old friend of my brother's, or so he says. I've never heard of or met him before now, and he's just kinda.. off. He's not really the type of person I imagine when I think of Wade's old friends."

"Well, I'll agree when you say there's something off about him." Nikki crossed her arms. "I don't like the way he was snooping around our suspect's house, you know?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I..." Owen trailed off as Douglas walked out of his house, but in a completely different way than they expected. Compared to his mugshot, he was clean cut and seemed much more peaceful. He was carrying a yoga mat in his arms, and was dressed like he was going to work out. "Douglas Kane?" Owen called to him, getting his attention.

"Yes?" Douglas walked down the stairs and approached them.

"I'm lieutenant Owen Lalley, and this is lieutenant Nicole Keegan with the Waverly Emergency Responders," He said, holding up his badge with Nikki. "We'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Alright, what seems to be the problem?" Douglas asked, regarding them respectfully.

While Owen was taken aback by this behavior, Nikki didn't seem to be fazed. "Where were you between the hours of 6 to 7 am this morning, Mr. Kane?"

He thought for a moment before answering. "I was on a run to Starbucks. I thought I had work this morning, until I found out that the company I work for might be shutting down our store, so I was asked not to come in."

"Is there anyone that can confirm your whereabouts this morning?" Nikki asked, looking him up and down.

Douglas nodded. "The barista. I always come in at the same time every morning and see her there. Her name is Carly, but I'm not sure if she'll be there - she got this phone call and ended up leaving early."

Owen frowned. "Wait, Carly Lambert? You know her?"

He nodded again. "Yeah, like I said, I see her every morning."

"Okay, thank you for your time, Mr. Kane." Nikki said, flashing him a slight smile. "We'll get back to you if we need you." As Douglas walked away, she turned to Owen. "Carly left early after getting a phone call and then was mysteriously at the scene of the crime? That doesn't look good for her."

"You're right, it doesn't." Owen sighed. "But he could be lying," He pointed out, though his idea was shot down by the look on Nikki's face. "Let's go talk to her and she what she has to say."

\- PRER -

Tori walked down the hall until she got to the lieutenant forensics lab and peeked in through the door. Autumn was standing over Jason's shoulder, looking his notes as he explained them to her. She stood there for a moment, before realizing that she was ultimately staring, and decided to walk in, knocking lightly on the door to announce her presence.

Autumn looked up first, smiling when she said the red chief. "Hey, Tori. What's up?"

She shrugged. "Just coming around to see how you guys are doing with the case. We know you've been getting harder ones lately because of all that happened with Taz and Sean, so I wanted to make sure that you were doing good with that."

"Why wouldn't we be?" Autumn asked, still keeping up a cheery attitude, even with the implication that she knew came with Tori's statement. "Besides, I know you know we can handle this. I mean, you and the other chiefs were involved in creating the team, weren't you?"

Tori was slightly taken aback by her statement, but nodded slowly. "Yeah, sort of. We weren't too happy about it because we knew we could handle it, but we knew Masters and Lia's higher-ups wanted another team so we didn't have to do everything. Sean and Taz decided that it wouldn't be that bad after a bit and helped Lia in her recruiting."

"And you didn't help at all?" Autumn said, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I didn't." Tori said, her voice steady. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, it's just because Masters told me that you guys helped out, and I figured I wanted to know if you did too." Autumn shrugged, looking slightly dejected. "But I guess not."

Jason watched them interact with a bit of confusion, but didn't think it was his place to but in, and turned back to his paper work.

"Would it have made a difference if I had?" Tori crossed her arms, a curious eyebrow raised.

Autumn sighed. "I don't know, I just hoped you had. It would've made me feel better that you actually didn't just not want us here."

Tori uncrossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Autumn, don't be so insecure. I don't not want you here. I may have thought you guys were unnecessary at first, but I realized that there's a lot we wouldn't have been able to do without you, and the four of us can't handle everything, obviously. So we do need you, and we do want you here."

"That's.. good to hear." Autumn trailed off lamely. "So, we've got some work to do and..."

"I got it." Tori assured her. "I'll get out of your hair. Let me know if you guys need anything."

She exited the lieutenant forensics lab and turned a corner, moving to walk past the lieutenant base on her way out, before noticing that the doors were all closed. Because of the door of the bases were sliding, mechanical doors that locked automatically when closed, they were almost always open unless something serious was going on.

Tori frowned and moved towards the door, about to knock when she heard voices from the other side of the door.

 _"You have your candidate for the pink chief,"_ Lia's voice came through, sounding annoyed. _"We have an idea for the purple lieutenant. If you're getting a new ranger, I don't see why we shouldn't be aloud to."_

 _"I think you guys are only doing this so that you can one up us and make us useless,"_ Andi retorted back, Tori imagining her arms crossed and the scowl on her face.

Masters cleared his throat from the other side of the door. _"That's not true, Andromeda. We were always going to bring in a new ranger, and with what happened to Sean and Fantasia, we thought it was the right time for this."_

Sophie sighed. _"We understand that, but what if this happens to the lieutenants as well?"_

 _"I believe that I should have a say in this,"_ A new voice said - one Tori only recognized from hearing it before. _"The new rangers will come in when the opportunity presents itself. The pink chief has barely just got any experience on the field, while the purple lieutenant has. Lincoln, give the new chief some time to adjust, and then bring her in. Lia, I've contacted the officers and they believe the lieutenant will be prepared when you need her. Can you handle that?"_

Both of the mentors agreed, sounding a bit dejected on both ends, while Tori quickly walked away before they came out of the base. She had recognized the voice as the head of ER, being Masters and Lia's higher-up. Tori had never met him, but she had heard that he was strict and hard on the people who worked for him, and generally wasn't pleasant to talk to.

She leaned against a wall outside of the building and thought about what she had just heard. She was unaware that new rangers were coming to work at ER with them, and was a bit surprised to hear that Masters and Lia had been planning this for a while without talking to them.

Tori heard people talking and coming towards the exit, and quickly walked away to go to lunch without looking back.

\- PRER -

Nikki and Owen sat quietly in Carly Lambert's apartment, waiting as she brought them some coffee from the kitchen nearby. She walked back into the living room and handed the mugs to them before sitting on the couch.

"So, is this about the interview I made with the news this morning?" She asked, sipping her own coffee. "I wasn't aware that that was illegal."

Owen shook his head. "It's not. That's not why we're here. Actually, it's because we were wondering why, exactly, you were at the scene of a crime when you were supposed to be at work?"

Carly sighed. "I had to leave because my mom's dog got out of her house and she wanted me to find it for her. I swear, she does anything she can to get me to move back home."

"Is there anyone who can..." Nikki trailed off when they heard a slight tap on the wall coming from around the door.

Owen stood up and gestured for them to be quiet as he walked over to the door and looked out the peephole, surprised by what he saw. Lawrence was moving around in the hallway outside of her apartment door, holding an empty container of gas in his hands, planting on the ground near her door. Owen gestured for Nikki to come to the door and had her look as well.

Nikki nodded at him and he immediately opened the door, moving to grab Lawrence when he moved out of the way and took off down the hall. "Stay with her and call for backup!" Owen told Nikki. "I'll get him!"

The green lieutenant pressed the buttons on his morpher and morphed silently, running to catch Lawrence, who had taken the stairs to run to the bottom floor of the building.

Owen sprinted after him as fast as he could, drawing his blaster to hopefully injure one of Lawrence's feet and make him stop running. He couldn't get a clear shot, however, until Lawrence ran out of the building and into an alleyway.

As he did so, Owen turned the corner after him but was immediately thrown to the floor when a bullet hit his chest, thankfully embedding itself into the bullet proof material of his suit, but still knocking the wind out of him and bruising him pretty badly with it's strength, as far as he could tell.

"You know," Lawrence smirked as he walked up to him, holding a pistol in his hands. "I never thought I'd get this opportunity until earlier today. Even then, I figured, he's not gonna be able to catch me so I may not get to kill him, but you were one smart cookie. Unfortunately, that's gonna be your downfall."

"So, all of this is because you've just been planning to kill me?" Owen coughed out through the pain in his chest from the power of the bullet. "You're so elaborate." He said sarcastically.

Lawrence rolled his eyes. "Actually, I burned the building for the profits we get - I just wanted more business. When I saw you, though, I knew I had to make you figure it out. I purposefully planted myself in those situations so you'd figure it out and I would get to do just this. Do you think your helmet could withstand a bullet?"

"I thought you said you were an old friend of my brother's," Owen groaned. "Why would you want to kill me?"

The chief firemen shook his head with a laugh. "You actually believed that? Here's the thing about your brother - he was the golden boy of us firemen, and everyone loved him. He knew how to appeal to people. I was similar, but no one else would even look at my accomplishments while he was around. Did you know, I was actually supposed to be promoted to head firemen but he talked his way into that position instead?"

Owen stared at him, before slowly saying, "What does that have to do with anything?"

Lawrence had a malicious look on his face. "He never got the position. The day before he was gonna be promoted, there was a bad fire and the ceiling fell on his back, injuring him and leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Funny thing is, there was never supposed to be a fire that day," He looked Owen in the eyes. "The ceiling should never have fallen. Wade was knocked out from the incident and didn't remember, but I remember hitting with my axe while his back was turned."

"What?" Owen gasped, stunned by what he was hearing. "You tried to kill my brother?"

He nodded. "And I would do it again in a heartbeat. Unfortunately for me, he survived and the little brother he always talked about became a fireman to honor him since he can't be one. I heard about you all the time, even now, but when I met you, I knew it was my chance to end this once and for all."

"Stand down!" A voice yelled from the end of the alley, Lawrence turning to see Autumn standing there with her gun in hand, rather than her blaster. Jason and Nikki were also at different areas in the alleyway.

Owen took this opportunity to knock the gun out of Lawrence's hand and wrestle him to the ground shoving him onto his stomach and slamming his face onto the ground as he pulled his hands behind his back to cuff him. As he was putting him in handcuffs, he leaned forward and whispered, "You'd better hope you never get out of prison." He then pulled Lawrence to his feet and handed him off to Autumn.

"Are you okay?" She asked, taking Lawrence from him.

"I..." Owen trailed off. "Make sure he goes to jail for a long time. He confessed to two counts of arson and the attempted murder of a fireman two year ago and attempted murder of a ranger just now."

Autumn nodded and pulled him away as Owen watched. He was startled when a hand was put on his shoulder and turned to see Nikki standing there. "Maybe you should take off." She suggested as he demorphed. "I heard the whole thing - I can explain to the others, if you want."

He swallowed hard and nodded. "Yeah, thank you. I do need it."

Nikki watched him walk off, avoiding any other officers who were asking questions. Jason walked over and stood next to her. "Is he okay?" Jason asked.

"I think he just needs a minute." Nikki responded. "Come on, let's get back to ER and process Lawrence."

\- PRER -

Owen made his way home, and even though he took his time and walked, he had no idea exactly what he was going to do. He walked up to the house and quietly made his way in through the front door, unconsciously holding the area of his chest where the bullet should've punctured, but he was sure there was a dark bruise from the way it ached.

"Why are you home so early?" A voice startled him, and he looked over to see Wade watching him from his position in the doorway of the kitchen. Looking at his place, Owen could remember all the times Wade would lean against the door frame and tease him fondly when they were young. "Did something happen?"

"What? Oh, no.. well, sort of." Owen looked down, and Wade wheeled closer to him, observing him.

"Are you alright?" Wade asked, gesturing to the hand he was holding over his chest. "Are you hurt or something?"

Owen looked at his hand and immediately moved it when he realized what he was doing. "Yeah, sorry, I was chasing this criminal and he shot me." Seeing at his brother's concerned look, he corrected himself. "I was wearing a bullet proof vest; it's just a bruise." He assured him.

Wade nodded, his concern waning. "Oh. Dangerous day?"

"I have to tell you something." Owen changed the subject. He looked around and grabbed the nearest chair, bringing it to his position and sitting in it, running a hand through his hair as he did so. "Do you.. remember a man named Lawrence Woods?"

His brother stiffened. "How do you know him? You need to stay away from him, Owen. You have no idea what he's capable of." Wade told him, a traumatized look on his face.

"So you do remember him," Owen frowned. "And you remember what he did." He paused for a moment, shaking his head. "Why didn't you say anything, Wade?"

"Because I didn't remember at first." Wade explained, running a hand through his hair just like Owen had. "I was in pain and had something wrong with my head and I didn't think anything besides the fire had caused it until I thought about what happened. I heard something hit the wood, and only one other person was in that room with me - Lawrence. I don't know what he did, but I know he caused my accident and put me in this chair." He gestured angrily at his wheelchair.

"You're right," Owen nodded. "He told me before I arrested him." At this, Wade looked at him in shock. "And I told him that he better hope he never gets out. If I wasn't the person I am, I would've killed that son of a bitch, but that wouldn't make me any better than him."

Wade stared at him. "You put Lawrence away? Seriously?"

"Yeah, I did. Thank God, huh?" Owen gave him a lopsided smile, but was taken aback when Wade grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him in for a strong hug. Owen was almost surprised by how strong it was, but his thoughts disappeared when he saw the way his brother was leaning and decided to lean forward more to prevent his back from hurting, as it did often from the injury he had sustained. "You okay?" He asked after a long moment.

"Okay?" Wade pulled away, adjusting his sitting position. "I'm happier than I've been in two years, Owen. I know I haven't been working on it, but I think I really want to ask my PT if I can try to really get back to walking in any state."

It was Owen's turn to stare in shock. He knew that his brother barely did anything in regards to trying to walk past what his physical therapist required because he always figured it was useless to try, so to hear that he really wanted to stunned Owen. "That's great, man. You have an appointment in a few days and we'll talk to him. Whatever happens, I'm here."

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Emergency Responders:** When homeless people are being murdered, Joey steps in to personally find the criminal behind it, revealing some details from his childhood that he hadn't told the others.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Home Is Where The Heart Is

 **Like I said above, I know it's been very long since I've updated, but my personal life has been really hectic as of late (when isn't it though?). I did start writing this chapter over a month ago, but I've hardly been online since due to my problems. Thankfully, I think all of the problems are over with and I'm really going to try to get on a more regular schedule, hopefully updating a story once every week or two, most likely on a Wednesday or Thursday since those are my most free days.**

 **Anyway, as for the story, there is gonna be set up for some sub-plots in these upcoming chapters, as well as this one. I'll point them out as they come along, and I should note that a few have already been brought up: Tori's recommendation of Autumn, Owen and his family, and Jason with his feelings for Nikki as well as the intern Logan. More will come up, and some will be resolved, and it will either be obvious or I'll let you know when this happens.**

 **Oh, and I have a poll in my bio for your favorite character from my old story Power Rangers: Data Surge this time for a team-up that I'll be having on August 4 with one ranger from all of my teams! If you read that story, please put a vote in!**

 **Here's the lineup for the next five chapters!**

 **Ep 12: Test -** Nikki focused chapter.

 **Ep 13: Kidnapping Reds -** Tori and Autumn focused chapter. Possibly a two-parter.

 **Ep 14: Purple Lieutenant -** New ranger appears!

 **Ep 15: Nutrition -** Taz focused chapter.

 **Ep 16: How You Love -** Jason focused chapter.

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you guys back with the next one!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	12. Ep 11: Home Is Where The Heart Is

**Here's the second chapter I wanted to update! You'll learn more about Joey's past in this chapter, as well as see more of Nat. It's already been established, as you know, that Nat is the recruit who will be brought in as the next chief, so I really want her to be a recurring character until that point. I hope you guys like this chapter!**

* * *

 _\- Flashback -_

 _A ten year old Joey sat out on a curb, waiting for his mother to come out of her friend's house. He was wearing tattered clothing and was picking at a hole in his shoe that had grown there after too long of wearing. In fact, he had those shoes for so long that they were tight and practically didn't fit, similarly to much of the clothes he was wearing._

 _He watched other people on the streets looking down at him, some frowning in disgust and some frowning in sympathy. He didn't really understand the stares he got from strangers, though he was starting to notice that there was something different about him that people didn't like._

 _Joey looked up at the house in front of him. His mother had told him that not everyone had a home, and that it wasn't necessary, but even as a child, Joey had a feeling she was lying to him. He was a happy child, no doubts about that, but all he really wanted was a home and a family._

 _His mother was all he had. His father was gone and he didn't have a sibling, to his knowledge. Joey also didn't understand why his father was gone. He tried asking his mother about it, but she just told him that he lived far away in a large skyscraper like the ones in the middle of town - a place Joey was told that he didn't belong because it was a place for upscale people with upscale lives._

 _It was a place his mother refused to take him. She always seemed sad when he brought it up, or brought up his father, so he stopped doing it. He didn't like to hear his mother crying at night, but she always seemed to do so, regardless of how good the day was going. He didn't understand that either._

 _Actually, there were a lot of things he didn't understand. Like why the kids at school always teased him for his 'ugly' clothes. Or why his friends parent's wouldn't make eye contact or talk to him, even when he tried to introduce himself. Or why everyone else looked so clean and he looked so dirty._

 _Or why he and his mother didn't have a home._

 _Supposedly, it was because they were different from the rest, or so he was told. They didn't need a home to be great or happy or anything like that. Joey_ _didn't know if he believed that._

 _From outside, he could hear his mother pleading with her friend to let them stay the night because it was dangerous for them to be out all the time._

 _He wondered why they didn't just find a place to stay if it was dangerous. He figured he just didn't understand, similarly to everything else about his situation._

 _Then again, maybe he wasn't supposed to understand._

 _Joey thought for a minute, before nodding his head in agreement with himself. He decided that he couldn't worry about things he didn't understand because it wouldn't make him understand anymore than he did, and it would just make his mother upset like it did every time he asked a question about their situation._

 _Looking back, he couldn't bear to think about the look in her eyes when he asked her why their house was smaller than everyone else's because they were living in a her car._

 _As he was thinking, he saw his mother come down the stairs from the house, her face wet from tears. She wiped it quickly, drying her hands on her tattered clothes, looking similar to, if not worse than, Joey's._

 _She walked over to him and knelt down beside him, mustering up a smile for his benefit. "Sweetie, we're gonna have to go back to our car, okay? I'm going to park it in a safe place and we're gonna have a good night - I'll read you a nice story before bedtime. How does that sound?"_

 _Joey looked up at her. "It's okay, mom. I like our car - it's our home." He smiled up at her, genuinely. "I like being there with you, and I don't care about what anyone else thinks." Joey proclaimed as he stood up._

 _"Oh, sweetie," She chuckled, putting a hand on his face in affection. "I love you so much. You're my rock." She kissed him on the forehead and stood up with him, offering her hand down to him._

 _He took her hand, "I love you too, mom."_

 _\- End of Flashback -_

 **\- Cue Opening -**

It was late at night, hardly any cars on the road with how late it was. The air was quiet and the stars shined bright in the sky, accenting the moon's light shining down to keep it from being too dark.

Under a large bridge that was raised for a road, there were various tents, boxes, and a few cars spread around everywhere. Some places there were just sleeping bags with people trying to keep as warm as possible in the cold of the night.

There were people living here in various states, ages, and sizes. Some were content with the life they lived and some were unhappy, mothers crying as they put their children to sleep out of fear of what would happen to them in the future.

Coming out of a tent was a young woman, around the age of 25 or so, with short brown hair, dark skin, and a small frame. She stumbled around tiredly, yawing and rubbing her face as if she had just woken up.

"Lori?" She whispered around, trying not to wake anyone sleeping. "Lori? Where'd you go?"

She continued to walk around for a few moments, before deciding to move over towards the wall of the tunnel, tapping her hand on the shoulder of another woman who she knew. "Addy. Come on, wake up." She whispered, waking her. Addy was a pale woman, looking to be around her 30's, with stringy blonde hair and dark eyes.

Addy looked up at the young woman standing over her and frowned. "Leona? What's wrong?"

Leona leaned down to speak quietly, "Lori's missing. I can't find her, and I've looked everywhere. Can you help me look?"

"Yeah, sure." Addy pushed her sleeping bag back and climbed out of it, rubbing her face to get rid of her tiredness. "I'll go this way, and you go that way, alright?"

"Okay." Leona nodded, moving to walk the opposite way of Addy. She walked for a while down the one way before coming to the end of the tunnel and seeing nothing. She sighed and walked back the other way, getting over to where Addy was supposed to be. "Addy? Did you find her?"

Hearing nothing, Leona frowned and continued walking until she was out of the tunnel. "Addy?" She called again, uncertainly.

She walked around the side of the tunnel and gasped, frozen in spot by what she saw in front of her. On the ground was Addy, covered in blood and not moving. Looking past her, Leona could see another body laying in the darkness a few feet away.

Leona moved forward to see it, before falling to her knees in horror when she saw that it was Lori. She screamed in despair.

\- PRER -

The next morning, Joey walked into the chief base, drinking a cup of coffee from the cafe down the street from ER. He was initially gonna wait until he got in to grab a cup from the cafeteria like usual, but since he woke up early, he decided it would be nice to stop on the way to work.

He walked through the door to see Tori, Sean, and Taz all standing at the large table in the middle of the ground, typing away at their monitors or looking through case files.

Joey smiled and sat down in his usual seat next to Taz, looking around at his teammates. "Good morning guys. How you doing?"

"Great," Sean muttered distractedly. He was finally cleared for duty this week, and so he was itching to catch up on everything that had been going on while he was resigned to staying home or desk duty.

Tori didn't respond besides a simple nod, but Taz looked up and smiled back at him. "Good, how are you?"

"I'm fine." He looked at the other two chiefs before looking back to her. "Nice to see that some people are pleasant in the morning."

"You want pleasantries, call your parents," Tori commented without looking up at him. "They might be able to keep up with your small talk every morning."

"Well, you're in a good mood." Joey rolled his eyes. "Then again, aren't you always?"

She scoffed, "Maybe I like to get my work done, unlike some people." Tori finally turned her eyes up at him, giving him a pointed look. "For someone that likes to get things done as soon as possible, you sure do take your time on work."

Joey opened his mouth to respond when Masters dropped a case file in the center of their table, attracting all of their attentions. "Look alive, we got a case." He announced, allowing Tori to take the file. "Last night, three bodies were found under the bridge near the train tracks. All three were homeless women - one of our other field forensics officers said that two women died the night they were found, and one has been dead for a few days. The bodies have been transferred to the lab, but it has been confirmed that they were murdered. Taz..."

"I'm on it." She stood up, pulling her lab coat off of the back of her chair and slipping it on over her clothes, before exiting the room towards the lab.

"Do we know anything else so far?" Tori asked, opening the file.

"The women were named Sally Lo, Addison Mathews, and Lori Knox," Masters told her, causing Joey to look up in shock. "Is there a problem, Joey?"

He was about to respond that there was, before deciding against it and shaking his head. "No, there isn't a problem. I'm sorry, continue."

Masters nodded like he didn't believe him, but continued anyway. "They were killed from stab wounds to the chest and neck area, but there isn't really much to connect them to. Sally Lo and Addison Mathews were said to not have much family, with no one being confirmed, and Lori Knox only had a sister, who was the one who found the bodies."

"Well, we'll go check it out, Masters." Joey claimed, standing up quickly. "Do you want all three of us to go?"

Masters gave him a look. "No. Tori, go with Joey. Sean, you stay here and see what you can put together from Taz's evidence."

Sean frowned. "As much as I would love to spend time with my girlfriend, I did get cleared for field duty earlier this week, Masters. I should be able to go with them to the scene."

"Well, I don't need all three of you going out there when we may need you for something else, should something come up," Masters responded. "Besides, just because you were cleared for duty, doesn't mean you should jump back into it at full force."

"I'm fine!" Sean said exasperatedly. "Why does everyone keep acting like I'm not?"

"When you stop continuously justifying yourself, maybe no one will think anything is wrong." Masters suggested. "Alright, Tori, Joey, get out there. If you need back up, call it in."

Tori nodded, standing up and putting her coat on. "We got it." She said, joining Joey as they walked out of the building.

\- PRER -

"You're alright," Nat assured a young girl as she finished bandaging up a nasty cut for her while Autumn stood by. The two had been called in to respond to concerned parents after their three year old daughter and slipped and fell, cutting her arm open in a rather large gash. They were worried she may need stitches, but luckily, Nat and Autumn had determined that she was likely going to be fine without it.

Autumn turned to the parents, who waited anxiously by. "Your daughter is fine. The cut may be sore, but it's not deep enough to require stitches and she seems fine besides the gash. My partner has already cleaned the wound, but you may do so yourself with some hydrogen peroxide if you feel the need to. Otherwise, it should heal up nicely, baring that this doesn't happen again."

"Trust us, it won't," The mother responded. "We'll be making sure that she's more careful next time."

"Good," Autumn smiled, turning to Nat, who had stood up and picked up her medical bag. "I think we're done here."

The father gave them a grateful look. "Thank you so much."

Nat waved it off. "Don't worry about it. We're just doing our job."

Autumn and Nat walked down the steps of the house and got into the ambulance, putting their things away and settling in, Autumn behind the driver's seat. She began to drive when she noticed that Nat was glancing at her in like she wanted to say something. "You okay?" She asked after a while of silence.

"Yeah, why?" Nat responded quickly, before sighing. "I just wanted to ask, how did you become a ranger? Like, did someone have to recommend you or did Lia or Masters just watch over you a lot?"

"I..." Autumn chuckled lightly. "Well, I always thought that it was more of a spur of the moment thing, but it turns out that I had a recommendation from someone, and had Lia keeping an eye on me for a few months until I became one." She glanced over for a moment before turning back to the road. "I actually got a recommendation from Tori, if you'll believe that."

Nat raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Wow, I didn't know you two were close."

"Well, we're not. I don't really recall the first time we met all too well, probably because it was so hectic, but I guess I must've made an impression on her." Autumn said, a hint of admiration in her tone. "She's a lot more caring than she acts - she just doesn't like her feelings to get in the way of her job."

"I see," Nat smirked at her. "So, what's that tone for?"

"Nothing in particular," Autumn shrugged. "There's nothing going on between Tori and I, if you were wondering. We work together and I'd consider her a friend. If anything, the tone is because I really do admire the person she is. She's great at her job, and if you really get to know her, she one of the most caring people you'll meet."

Nat nodded. "Yeah, I got it. She seems like a nice person, but I've never met her."

"You'd like her." Autumn told her. "She can be a bit cold, but you'll get used to it..." She trailed off. "Wait, why did you ask how I became a ranger? You looking to ask Masters about something like that?"

She scoffed. "I would never ask him about it - he'd probably turn me down." Nat chuckled. "You can't just ask for a position like that; you have to earn it, and I'm willing to do that. I was just asking because I feel like he's been watching my colleagues and me, so I was wondering if you knew what I could do to get his attention."

Autumn smiled. "So, you're definitely interested, then?"

"Definitely." Nat smiled back.

The red lieutenant nodded. "Alright, well, just be as good at your job as you possibly can and try to be diligent. If you do that, I think he'll notice you."

Nat put a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you. It means a lot that you're trying to help me. I hope I get it."

Autumn glanced at her quickly before looking back at the road. "You will, don't worry about it."

\- PRER -

Tori and Joey made it to the tunnel, with Joey rubbing his arm nervously and Tori putting her hands on her hips. "This is where they found the bodies, huh?" She looked around. "I'm not surprised. Places like this are dangerous at night, especially since there are a lot of criminals that'll just pick on the homeless because they think they're easy targets."

"Yeah," Joey nodded, a determined look on his face. "Well, we're here to set them straight about that. It doesn't matter where they live, they're still people."

"I agree." Tori said. "No one deserves to be picked off because of something as simple as they're living conditions." She turned to him. "So, where do you want to start?"

Joey looked around. "Well, how about you look at the crime scene and I'll talk to the witnesses? I'm pretty good with.. people."

"Alright, I'll be right here if you need back-up." Tori gestured to the other officers who were taking pictures and looking into the evidence.

He nodded distractedly as he walked forward into the tunnel, feeling so many memories flooding into his mind as he did so. Joey continued to walk forward until he saw who he was looking for. He moved up to her. "Leona Knox?" He asked, attracting her attention.

Leona looked at him, and he was stunned. She was only a year or so older than him, but the difference in their lives shocked him. He remembered her being his mother's friend's daughter, who, along with her sister Lori, were homeless like himself and his mother.

Joey and his mother had gotten out of that life when he was almost 17, after he got a job to help support his mother, allowing the two of them enough money to finally afford a place to live. Leona and Lori had not. He felt horrible that she, 7 years later, was still struggling while he and his mother were doing well.

While he would never apologize for making it through his struggles in a stroke of luck, he still felt bad that people he knew, and plenty he didn't know, were still struggling so badly.

"Hey..." Leona stepped down from the place she was standing and looked up at him in shock. "Joey? Is that you?"

"Yes, it is. I'm chief Joseph Dixon," He held up his badge, trying not to feel guilty since he had to follow protocol. "I have to ask you some questions about your sister's death."

Leona stepped back, as if she was deeply offended. "You're really going to stand there and question me as if you didn't know me? Is that how it is, Joey?"

"I'm just following protocol, Ms. Knox." Joey sighed. "I'm sorry, I really am."

"No, you're not." Leona shook her head. "You don't care about us. You're not one of us anymore. You rejected us the minute you went to live in your fancy city house."

"My house is nothing close to fancy," Joey responded. "I'm not like that, and you know it. I'm not going to apologize for getting my mom and I out of that situation. I may not regret being in it in the first place, because it taught me a lot and made me who I am, but I'm not going to stand here and act like it was good for us."

Leona swung her hand at him to slap him when someone held her back and pulled her away. He watched them walk away, but was pulled out of his stupor when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see a man he recognized well. "Noah?"

"Joey," He smiled and pulled the younger man in for a hug. "It's so nice to see you. I'm proud of you and your mother for doing so well."

Joey made a face. "It seems that not everyone would agree with you on that."

Noah put a hand on his shoulder. "She just lost her sister, give her some time. She'll come around. She knows you're right, just as well as almost everyone here. It's not good to be in this situation, and some people get upset when others get out of it because they are unable to do it themselves. It's not personal."

The yellow chief smiled. "I hope you're right." He looked around. "You don't happen to know anything about what happened, do you? Me and my partner, Victoria, are investigating to catch this guy."

"The only thing I can think of was that there was a man lurking around here for a bit a few days ago." Noah said. "I didn't think he was doing any harm, but he's the only one who was out of the ordinary."

Joey nodded. "Alright. Can you tell me what he looked like?"

"Yeah, he was a heavy-set guy, pale skin, small eyes." Noah thought for a moment. "Maybe around your height. He had a beard and brown hair."

"Any scars? Tattoos?" Joey asked. "Anything in particular that could help me identify him?"

Noah shrugged. "A scar on his neck, I think. That's it."

"Thank you for time." He responded, giving him a grateful smile. "We'll catch this guy." Joey assured Noah before walking towards Tori, who was watching him with her arms crossed. "What?"

Tori gave him a hard look. "You know these people, Joey?" At his look of shock, she continued. "Before you think about lying to me, understand that I can read your mind and will know if you are."

Joey sighed. "So what? I don't understand what the big deal is."

She glared at him. "The big deal is that Masters can fire you for lying about not being close to a case. It's a strict rule that you can't work on cases you're close to - you could tamper the evidence for all we know. Your emotions will get in the way. Did you even think about this before you lied to Masters about not knowing anything about this?"

"Not really," He admitted. "But so what? I had to take the risk of getting caught to take care of these people, and, before _you_ say anything, I should tell you that I don't know anything about the criminal behind this. If anything, I want to catch him more because of what he did to the people I know."

Tori frowned. "How do you even know these people? Some of them have been homeless for generations."

He nodded. "Yeah, I know. I used to live here," Joey revealed, watching her expression become softer as he said this. "Me and my mom were living on the streets more often than not until I was about 17. I don't know how we got there, but I have a feeling it had something to do with my dad leaving us."

"I'm sorry." Tori said. Her expression was still stoic, but her voice portrayed that she did feel for him.

Joey shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Are you gonna tell Masters?"

Tori uncrossed her arms and sighed. "I don't want you to get fired over this."

He chuckled lightly. "Me neither. Just let me do this and I'll deal with whatever comes when it does."

" _If_ it does." Tori pointed out a bit grudgingly. "I'm not gonna say anything, but if it comes out, I can't deny that it's true."

Joey smiled widely. "Really?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "I'm gonna head back to ER to see if Sean or Taz has found anything. Keep watch over here and call me as soon as anything happens, alright?"

"Of course, I got it." Joey agreed.

\- PRER -

Jason and Nikki were sitting together in the cafeteria as they ate their lunch, Jason gesturing to the side as Owen walked in and walked over to them after grabbing a sandwich for himself.

Owen sat down heavily, rubbing a hand exhaustedly over his face, even though he seemed to be in a very delightful mood.

"Okay, what's going on?" Nikki asked, leaning forward across the table. "You're gonna give me whiplash with these conflicting emotions I'm sensing. I mean, you look like you haven't slept in weeks but you've never looked happier?"

He let out a laugh. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a lot has been happening." Owen replied.

Jason frowned. "Have you not been sleeping well or something?"

"No, I've been sleeping fine." Owen said. "I've been dealing with a lot of family issues. You know how my brother was in that accident two years ago and he was paralyzed? Well, he was always cynical about physical therapy to relearn how to walk, even in the slightest way. Now that we caught the guy responsible, he's suddenly decided that all he wants to do is get through his PT so he can walk."

Nikki smiled. "That's awesome!" She exclaimed loudly, not even noticing the attention she gain from doing so.

Owen nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's amazing. Luckily, it wasn't a complete injury that he had so it is possible for him to walk with crutches and leg braces, but unfortunately, it's painful to learn and his physical therapist was telling me all of these things about how there can still be complications with his injury this long after it happened and that's stressful to hear because I couldn't see something like that happen to him again."

Jason gave him a sympathetic look. "Unfortunately, you can never be sure that there won't be."

"I know." Owen sighed. "And then, my sister's just being a pain about this whole thing and wants me to help her with her own problems, but with work and everything else I have to do, I just don't know if I have time."

"Wow," Nikki looked him over. "You know, this is the most.. mature I've seen you get since we've met."

Owen frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you've always just had a.. childish side to you?" She shook her head. "I don't think that's the right way to describe it. Either way, it's not a bad thing, it's just surprising to see you like this. All 'head of the household' kind of thing."

He chuckled. "I've been the head of the household for the past two years. My mom and dad are hardly around, Wade's dealing with his problems, and Mallory's younger than me. I'm still the same as I've always been, I've just had a long few weeks."

Nikki smiled comfortingly. "It'll get easier, and even if it doesn't, life will still continue on and you'll get through it eventually."

"Thanks," He smiled back at her. "Means a lot that I've got you guys to support me."

Jason watched the continue to interact and frowned a bit. He had noticed that the two were starting to grow closer over the last while, and wasn't sure how he felt about that considering that he now had Logan around.

He looked over and saw Nikki smile. "We'll be there for you as long as you need, right Jason?"

"Oh, yeah." Jason fumbled over his words. "Of course."

\- PRER -

Joey was walking around the tunnel back and forth, waiting to see if anything of suspicion happened. He had been getting some dirty looks from some of the people he used to be friends with, while he was getting proud looks from others.

He wasn't sure which one he felt better about, considering that it always made him reminisce about hard times when he was around this area, and Joey agreed with both prospects on a certain level.

On one hand, he was extremely proud of himself and his mother for getting a stable life, but on the other hand, he always felt bad for his friends that couldn't for whatever reason there was.

As he was walking around, he started to hear a struggle coming from the other end of the tunnel. He ran down there as fast as his legs would take him and crouched behind a wall, peeking his head around to see what was happening.

When he did, he saw Leona struggling against a man with a similar look to the one Noah had described, who had a knife in his hand and a scar on his neck.

Joey pulled out his gun out of it's holster and turned the corner, holding it up towards the man. "Drop your weapon now!" He demanded, attracting the man's attention. "I said now!"

The man immediately pulled Leona into a choke hold, using her as a shield, and put his knife against her throat. "Try me, chief."

Leona shook from fear in his grasp. "Who are you?" She gasped out.

"Steven," He responded promptly, staring at Joey. "Steven Allen. Feel free to right that down, chief."

"Okay, Steven," Joey held his hands up, lowering to the ground as he watched Steven intently. "My name is Joseph Dixon. I won't hurt you, just let Leona go and we can talk about this."

Steven scoffed. "What's there to talk about?" He shook his head. "I'm surprised I got caught so fast. I mean, I figured, who the hell even cares about homeless people, right? But, I guess I was wrong."

"I guess you were." Joey nodded, kneeling to the ground and putting his gun there. He didn't let go of it though, as Steven immediately took the knife and threw it at Joey. With his ability, however, Joey reacted instantaneously and ducked out of the way, grabbing his gun from the floor and shooting Steven in the foot, making him let go of Leona.

Leona ran back to get to safety while Joey rose his morpher to his lips. "Chiefs, this is Joey, we have a situation in progress - I repeat, a situation in progress. I am in a fight with suspect Steven Allen."

 _"On it,"_ Tori's voice came through the morpher. _"We're on our way."_

Steven began chuckling to himself, shaking his head. "You really think you can just call your other chiefs up and have them get here in time? By the time they get here, you'll be dead and I'll be long gone."

Joey got off the floor and pull handcuffs out from his belt. "I doubt that."

"We'll see." Steven muttered. When Joey walked over to him, Steven tripped him and immediately tried to pin him to the ground. Unfortunately, since Joey saw him before this occurred, the yellow chief was able to bring his foot up and kick Steven off of him before he could get the upper hand.

In the minor scuffle, Joey dropped his gun and handcuffs and was scrambling to get them when Steven kicked him in the ribs, making him fall to the ground with a groan as he heard the crack Steven's kick caused.

Joey held a hand in front of his ribs and instantly moved to trip the criminal when he walked towards him. Joey jumped to his feet, wincing in pain, and immediately pinned Steven on his back.

"Superhuman strength, huh?" Joey concluded from the pain just one kick caused.

Steven growled, "Superhuman agility, huh? I hardly think that's a match for me."

Once more, Steven kicked his foot, but this time at Joey's back from behind, causing the chief to be thrown forward and land face down on the floor. He didn't move past that.

The criminal stood up with a smirk and began to advance on Joey when another voice caused him to stop. "Freeze!" He turned to see Tori, Sean, and Taz morphed and pointing their guns at him. "Stop right there and put your hands on your head!"

Turned around, Steven couldn't see Joey get up from behind him, grabbing his handcuffs off the ground. Immediately, Joey tackled him to the ground and shoved the handcuffs on his wrist. "You can't break them, as I should mention." Joey informed him. "They negate your ability."

Joey pulled him to his feet and handed him off to Sean and Taz as Tori walked over to him. "You okay?"

"I'll live." Joey nodded. "I'm just glad I caught the guy."

Tori put a hand on his shoulder. "Your mother will be proud."

Joey smiled. "Yeah, I know."

 _\- Flashback -_

 _A sixteen year old Joey ran through the tunnel to find his mother at their car. She had just gotten off from one of her jobs and was getting ready for an interview at a second one. He paused for a moment, fixing his hair and clothes, before walking over to her._

 _"Mom," He tapped her shoulder lightly, prompting her to turn to face him. She was dressed cleanly, but had bags under her eyes from the stress. "I have something to tell you."_

 _She smiled and touched his face, "Joey, I'm very busy. I have to get this job if we're gonna be able to afford that house that we want." She said, though he heard what she meant - she needed that job to get the cheapest house they could find, as long as they had a house._

 _"But, you don't have to worry about that, mom." Joey insisted. "Just hear..."_

 _"Joey, please." His mother sighed tiredly. "You know I love you to death and I love hearing everything you have to say, but not now." She turned back around and was rummaging through the car to find the shoes she needed, but Joey tapped her shoulder again._

 _"This is very important." Joey told her. "This will help us out."_

 _She turned around once more, looking impatient until he held up a piece of paper. She took it from him, after recognizing what it was. "Is this...?"_

 _"Yeah." Joey nodded excitedly. "I got a job to help us out. I know you've been saying that I don't have to but I really wanted to because..." He trailed off when his mother engulfed him in a tight hug. "Mom?"_

 _"I'm so proud of you." She whispered to him. "Thank you so much. I love you."_

 _He hugged her back, just as tightly. "I love you too, mom."_

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Emergency Responders:** Masters and Lia decide to pair up one of the chiefs with one of the lieutenants for a day to help the rangers gain some understanding of one another, as well as hopefully pick up some tips from each other. However, when Nikki is pair with Tori, things go awry.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Test

 **I really enjoyed writing this chapter! I really liked getting in depth with Joey's backstory and having a bit of growth for him and Tori's relationship, since they haven't really interacted too much on their own at this point.**

 **Besides the subplots I mentioned last time, no new ones have arisen, only previous ones moving forward. The very minor subplot with Nikki and Tori's problem will be the main focus of the next chapter, though, but I'm not sure if any others will be added next time either. Rest assured that more will pop up throughout the rest of this story.**

 **Anyways, I have a poll in my bio for your favorite character from my old story Power Rangers: Data Surge this time for a team-up that I'll be having on August 4 with one ranger from all of my teams! If you read that story, please put a vote in!**

 **Here's the lineup for the next five chapters!**

 **Ep 13: Kidnapping Reds -** Tori and Autumn focused chapter. Possibly a two-parter.

 **Ep 14: Purple Lieutenant -** New ranger appears!

 **Ep 15: Nutrition -** Taz focused chapter.

 **Ep 16: How You Love -** Jason focused chapter.

 **Ep 17: Pink Chief -** Nat focused chapter.

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you guys back with the next one!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	13. Ep 12: Test

**Hey guys, here's the next chapter! I have a lot to get done before August 4th, mostly on my other stories, so I'm not really on a schedule anymore. This story will probably be uploaded the least out of my other ones, since they take priority for my 5th anniversary planning, but I'll still try to get this one out as much as I can! Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Early in the morning, a young woman walked quietly through her house, careful not to wake anyone nearby. She eyed the quiet man sleeping on a chair in the living room, her fists clenching as she looked at him.

On the floor surrounding his chair, beer bottles lay scattered, with some liquid still spilling out of a few. The young woman huffed and walked over to the kitchen, coming to stand directly in front of the stove. She looked down at her hands for a moment, before holding them out in front of her, directed at the stove.

Almost instantly, the stove went up in intense flames. The flames licked at the walls and surrounding area, quickly beginning to spread throughout the kitchen area, making it's way out towards the living room.

She moved out of the kitchen, her expression calm, and looked at the older man once more. She thought to herself for a moment that it was strange that he wasn't snoring like usual, before getting back to her task.

Taking a few deep breaths, she held a shaky hand out at one of the half empty beer bottles, making it erupt in flames as well.

The young woman stared as the flames crawled up his chair, but turned away before she could see what happened to him. She began to walk away as the smell of burning flesh assaulted her nostrils, ignoring it as she made her way into her room.

Closing the door behind her, she contained herself and laid back down in her bed, pulling the covers over her and falling back to sleep.

 **\- Cue Opening -**

Nikki came into ER that morning, sipping her coffee and humming to herself. She was walking so fast she almost looked like she was skipping, and was nodding her head to the music she was thinking about. As she made her into the lieutenant base, she stopped and was a bit confused to only see Autumn standing there, leaning on the console in the middle of the room.

She frowned a bit, "Are we the only people left in civilization or something?"

Autumn looked up, startled. "I'm glad I'm not the only one here," She commented. "I don't know where the others are at, and I don't think I remember Lia telling us that we were supposed to be somewhere."

"Me neither, and god knows she's gonna be olagonin' on about how we're late," Nikki muttered, making Autumn give her a funny look.

"What?" Autumn asked, confused.

Nikki looked up in shock, as if she had noticed something wrong. "Oh, I mean complaining. Sorry, I'm.. tired. It's early."

"Oh, okay." Autumn nodded. She looked to be in thought for a moment, before she spoke up, chuckling a bit. "You know, when I came in this morning, I thought maybe I just didn't know why no one else was here because I haven't been here as long as the rest of you. I mean, I'm not new or anything anymore, but I was worried about it."

The yellow lieutenant smirked, "Hey, if we didn't think you could handle this, I wouldn't have recommended you to Lia that day."

Autumn smiled, looking down. "Apparently, you're not the only one." She looked back up. "I don't want to say anything about it to her, but Masters told me that Tori actually recommended me a few months before any of this happened."

Nikki crossed her arms. "Tori? That's impossible." She shook her head. "She's not the type to do anything nice."

"I don't know about that," Autumn shrugged. "I think she just keeps up a facade, but underneath she's kind and really cares about us."

"Doubtful," Nikki rolled her eyes, about to speak up again when a knock on the wall startled them.

The two turned to see Sophie standing in the doorway, a slightly embarrassed look on her face. "Hey guys, sorry I forgot to mention this yesterday, but we're all meeting in the chief base this morning. My bad,"

Autumn patted her on the shoulder as they passed by, "Don't worry about it, we're all good. Thank for coming to get us."

They walked into the chief base together, and Tori, who heard Autumn's comment, nodded. "Yeah, it's a good thing she went to find you guys - we were just about to get started and leave you out of it."

"Please," Nikki rolled her eyes once more, taking a swig from her coffee cup.

Masters and Lia stood in front of them, talking with each other, before finally calling the rangers to listen. "Thank you," Masters said as they became silent. "We have noticed a bit of.. separation between both of your teams, and we think you guys need a bit of understanding with each other."

Sean made a face. "I don't really think there's a separation between us," He said, his arm around Taz. "We get along."

"Yeah, but you still think you're better than us," Owen snorted, looking at the chiefs. "All because you guys got a higher score on some stupid tests than us."

Joey frowned. "Well, I took the same test and I wasn't chosen until later on."

"Because we were only going to have three people on each team at first," Jason pointed out, his voice quiet. "Everyone who also scored high were left to join the different bases, doing whatever job they did."

"Well, Autumn didn't even take the test," Sean crossed his arms.

Autumn sighed. "I still went to school for..."

"Okay, okay," Lia quieted them down, cutting Autumn off. "As you can obviously see, there _is_ tension between you guys. That's why we're going to go the old-fashioned route and pair you guys up into four partners,"

Taz raised an eyebrow. "By color?" She asked. Taz didn't have a problem with Owen, of course not, but she figured they wouldn't be the best match, given their extremely conflicting personalities.

"I'm fine with that," Tori spoke up, much to the surprise of the others. "Autumn and I can handle this."

"That's great to hear." Masters responded dryly. "But, we're not pairing you up by color, we're pairing you up by job. So, Autumn will actually be paired with Sean, since they are the only ones without a job match."

Autumn and Sean shared a look, while Tori crossed her arms. "Masters, I have to object. I don't think..."

"I've already decided on this, Tori. Autumn and Sean will be paired together, then Jason and Taz, Owen and Joey, and you and Nikki," Masters read off. The others didn't seem too chagrined by his decision, but Nikki stared at Masters in shock and outrage.

Nikki shook her head. "Nope, not happening." She retorted. "I'm not being paired with her. This is unfair! You know we don't get along." If she wasn't speaking to her bosses right now, Nikki imagined this conversation would be much more vulgar than it was.

Lia sighed. "Maybe this will be good for you two, in that case." She suggested. "Besides, it's only for this one assignment. After that, you could never speak to each other again, if you wanted."

"Besides, I'm not the one with the problem." Tori muttered, giving Nikki a look. "That's you."

"Don't even start with me." Nikki growled out, glaring at her.

"You guys can argue later - right now, we have a crime to solve." Masters touched the console in the middle, and a picture of a burned house projected from the middle of it. "This house was burned partially in the early hours of the morning, but there was nothing that could've possibly caused it. Homer Winston, a man in his early 50s, was killed in the fire, and it seems like foul play."

Taz gestured for Jason to follow her. "We'll get our tools." She announced as the two made off down the hall.

"I guess that just leaves us to get going," Autumn said, nodding towards the door. "Shall we?"

The others, besides Nikki, nodded and began to follow Autumn out of the room. After a moment of standing and seething in her own anger, Nikki huffed and followed after them.

\- PRER -

Silas sat in his office, leaning back in his large chair as he looked out of the window. It was a bad part of town they were in, being stuck in a warehouse to keep a low profile, so it wasn't as if he was in a skyscraper, looking down on the beautiful city below him.

It was as if he was watching a part of the city fall apart, which is what he _was_ doing. He could look out the window at any given time and see some sort of crime or something akin to that everyday.

Not that Silas minded. He actually relished in it and enjoyed watching people rip into each other. It was why he was a crime lord in the first place, though he wouldn't have minded having a larger place either.

A knock at the door startled him out of his thoughts, and he turned in his chair to see Thorn come into the room, a confused look on his face.

"Thorn, how many times do I have to remind you that I'm not here to answer all of life's questions for you?" Silas remarked, hardly looking at him.

"I'm not here for that, boss," Thorn crossed his arms. "I wanted to know if we had any plans for anything big soon?"

Silas nodded. "Oh, of course we do." He chuckled. "When have I not?"

"Well, I was only asking because I hadn't heard anything." Thorn commented, frowning.

The crime lord nodded again. "Yes, that's true. I haven't told you or Bones anything about it." Silas smirked. "I don't need to. Belladonna and I have everything we need, without you two to screw something up."

Thorn made a face. "If you and Belladonna are doing so well, then why do you need us here at all?"

Silas shrugged. "Backups? Look, Belladonna and I have always had a complicated relationship - one of betrayal and comradery. You two have always been loyal to me, so I need you here in case she tries to usurp my power."

"I see," Thorn almost smiled to himself, proud that he had a high spot with Silas. "Well, Bones and I will be of assistance if you need us, boss."

"Of course you will, Thorn," Silas stood up, snaking an arm around his shoulders and leading him towards the door. "And I appreciate that. The minute I need you, I'll be sure to call."

Silas opened the door and shoved Thorn out into the hall. He turned and closed it behind him, shaking his head to himself as he walked back towards his chair.

\- PRER -

Tori stood in the living room of the burned house, looking at some of the pictures that still stood on the mantel of the fireplace. In the picture was a family of three, with a father and his two daughters, who looked very different, not only from him, but from each other.

 _Adopted, most likely,_ Tori thought to herself. _Maybe a foster father. Perhaps an angry biological parent._ She looked over at one of the daughters, who was sitting on a chair nearby, talking to Nikki. She looked a bit shaken up, but not too badly. Tori assumed it was because Nikki was using her ability to calm her and make the interview easier.

She put the photo back on the shelf and observed the daughter from afar, before seeing a fading bruise on her arm. It was hidden partially by her sleeve, but looked like someone had grabbed her quite roughly, _Or maybe, abusive foster father and scared foster kids._

"What's that from?" Tori asked, pointing to it.

The older daughter, Alison, pulled her sleeve down hastily. "Nothing; I fell."

Tori rolled her eyes. "Not true. That's a hand print. It looks like someone grabbed your arm and bruised you. Did your foster father do that to you?"

Alison shrugged defensively. "No! My boyfriend and I are a little rough during sex. Big deal." She looked embarrassed. "I don't see how that's relevant."

"Tori, back off," Nikki glared at her, just as Tori was gonna read her mind. "It doesn't matter if he was her foster father - he just died. Give her some space."

"Okay, I'm sorry for asking." Tori held her hands up in surrender. "Is your sister here?"

She shook her head. "No, Jasmine's at her friends house. I don't know when she's getting back, but I'm waiting for her."

Nikki nodded and stood up. "Well, maybe we should walk over there and get her? Do you know the address?"

"Oh," Alison looked a bit flustered, before she slowly grabbed a paper and pen to write it down. "Here you go. Umm.. maybe you shouldn't tell her until she gets here. I want to talk to her myself."

Tori took the paper. "Of course." She looked towards the kitchen, where Joey and Owen were standing. "Hey, we're gonna go pick up the other daughter. Call if you guys are gonna get out of here."

"Yeah, we are soon." Joey called. "I think we're almost done here."

"Cool," Nikki gave him a thumbs up before walking towards the door. "We'll get back to you if we find anything." She told them, before she and Tori left the house in the direction Alison pointed them.

\- PRER -

Jason and Taz had taken the body back to the chief lab, and were looking it over to see if there was anything they could find that would help them with the investigation. So far, they hadn't come up with much, since the body was so badly burned.

"It doesn't seem like there was much of a struggle." Jason pointed out. "If there was, the burns wouldn't be so bad and he might not even be dead."

Taz nodded. "That's right. He would have gotten up to put the fire out within seconds of him feeling it. The only way he wouldn't have is if he was possibly drugged or..."

"Already dead when the fire was started," Jason finished for her. "I ran his tox-screen and the only thing in his system was an extremely high blood-alcohol level."

"High enough to cause alcohol poisoning?" Taz asked, frowning.

Jason thought for a moment, before sighing. "I would say yes, under normal circumstances, but his liver is damaged pretty badly, and I don't mean from the fire." He gestured to it. "He was obviously a heavy drinker, and if his body was accustomed to it, it might not have been enough to kill him."

"Well, it's possible that the onset of alcohol poisoning caused him to lose consciousness," Taz suggested. "Because of that, he was unable to stop himself from being burned to death."

The blue lieutenant rubbed his arm, "You don't think that would cause him to awaken from unconsciousness?"

Taz shrugged. "Honestly, it would depend on his level of consciousness all together." She sighed. "90% of alcohol poisoning related incidents were caused by non-alcoholics who were binge drinking. With the level of damage to his liver, that's obviously not the case."

Jason paused, before responding. "Well, did you check the damage to the bone? If he was already dead when the fire was set, the bones would be different than if he was still alive," He pointed out.

"Of course," Taz immediately moved to look at some of the exposed bone, finding it dry and brittle to the touch. She looked back up at Jason. "This bone was damaged postmortem." She told him. "He was dead before he was burned."

"Do you think it was murder?" Jason asked, eyeing the body. "Was the body set on fire to conceal other damage?"

Taz shook her head. "I doubt it. The way the fire was set seemed deliberate to harm him, and there's no evidence of antemortem trauma in the autopsy. Its likely that the person was unaware of his prior death, which would point to attempted murder."

"You're completely right," Sean announced as he and Autumn made their way into the room. "We just got off the phone with Joey and Owen, and they told us that they determined the fire was definitely deliberate to kill him, and was set by a superhuman with the ability to control fire."

"But, we still have no idea who did it." Autumn sighed. "Did you find anything that could lead to our attempted murderer?"

"No, not yet." Jason said. "But, it narrows it down if you know the ability of the person."

Sean glanced at the body, before looking up at Taz. "Was he a superhuman?"

"He wasn't." Taz replied. "That part of his brain was never active."

Autumn looked disappointed. "That's gonna make it a little harder. A lot of normal humans won't associate themselves with superhumans of a dangerous power like that. They're usually too afraid."

Taz pursed her lips. "Obviously he wasn't."

Sean pulled out his phone. "I should call Tori and Nikki, let them know what we've found." He gestured to the door. "I'll be right back." Sean said as he excused himself from the room to call.

\- PRER -

Tori and Nikki were walking towards the address that Alison had given them, but Tori couldn't get the nagging feeling that something was off out of her head. She thought that Alison had to have been lying about how she got the bruise, and was chagrined that Nikki cut her off before she could ask more about it.

She knew that Nikki wasn't fond of her, and also knew the reason why, but didn't understand why she was still holding onto that hate after all these years. Tori wasn't one to talk about distancing herself, not in the slightest, but what happened wasn't even something Tori could control.

After a few more moments of thinking and walking in a heavy silence, Tori shook her head. "Okay, look, I think I should go back to the house." She told Nikki, making her stop in her tracks. "There was something off about Alison, I'm telling you."

Nikki scoffed. "You just want to try to show me up, like always. That's the only thing you care about."

"Oh please," Tori rolled her eyes. "I'm trying to help us catch a murderer. Besides, I honestly don't care at all about the stupid little feud you think you have with me."

"You know what you fucking did!" Nikki growled. "I was gonna be a damn chief before you showed up, but no, Tori's better than everyone!"

Tori stared at her like she was crazy. "You think I purposely tried to take your spot? I didn't. I know that I shouldn't have been able to take that stupid test since I came in late, but Masters let me. It's not my fault. If you wanna be mad at anyone, be mad at him."

The yellow lieutenant glared daggers at her. "You're damn right you should've have been able to. They had already chosen Taz and had only one spot left for a female chief. I wanted it more than anything and you came in and took it right out from under me!"

"I didn't _mean_ to," Tori emphasized. "I hardly even knew you back then."

Nikki sighed exasperatedly. "I don't think you _meant_ to. Besides the obvious anger I felt at being ripped out of my place, I knew that it in and of itself wasn't your fault. The way you've acted since - that's your fault."

"I don't act in anyway other than the way I've always acted."

"Yes, you do." Nikki retorted. "I mean, of course you've always not cared about anyone but yourself, but there's more than that. You think you're better than all of us just because you're a chief. If I had become one, I never would've thought that."

"Okay, I believe you," Tori nodded. "But, you do realize that all of the chiefs kind of think that way, even Taz and Joey, the nice ones. You know why that is? Because we were chosen as the top of the top. We've worked hard for this, and I get that you have too, but you don't have the right to undermine us just because you're upset." She scowled. "And, by the way, I care a lot about others. I just don't let my feelings get in the way of my job."

Nikki almost smirked. "Yeah, I guess you're right. You know, Autumn was saying the exact same thing this morning."

Tori wasn't phased. "Okay? What's that supposed to mean?"

"I know you recommended her to become the red lieutenant." Nikki told her. "And she knows it too."

The red chief shot her a sharp look. "You don't know anything," She hissed, before shaking her head. "You know what, screw this. I'll go back to find Alison on my own. I don't need your help."

Nikki opened her mouth to give a rebuttal, but Tori was already storming the opposite way. She groaned irritatedly and leaned against a nearby wall, running hands through her hair. She stayed like that for a few moments until her phone rang. Nikki pulled it out of her pocket, answering, "Hello?"

 _"Nikki? It's Sean,"_ His voice came through the speaker. _"We found out that the fire happened after he was already dead, and by a superhuman with the ability to control fire. Homer wasn't a superhuman though, and we don't know anyone he could've known that was."_

"Well, I..." She trailed off, as she thought back. Nikki remembered Tori mentioning that Alison was adopted, and about the bruises on her arm. It hit her like a ton of bricks. "Oh my god." Nikki gasped. "I think I know who did it!" She hung up before she could clarify and ran down the street as fast as she could, hoping to get to the house in time.

\- PRER -

Tori arrived outside the house, her hand on the blaster at her waist. She carefully walked up the steps and got up to the door, pressing her ear against it and listening for sounds inside. As she listened, she could hear two girls arguing - Alison and Jasmine - one of whom sounded frightened and distressed.

The red chief moved closer to the window and peered inside slightly, and saw something she found extremely surprising. While she thought it was Alison who could've been the culprit, when she looked inside, she saw Alison looking at Jasmine with a scared expression on her face.

She waited for a few moments, watching them until it seemed like the right time to involve herself. Tori morphed quietly and busted the door open, pointing her blaster at Jasmine, who was moving threateningly towards Alison.

"Hold it right there," Tori told the younger teen as she turned around to face the ranger. "Don't move any closer to anyone, alright? Take it easy."

Jasmine stared up at her with big eyes, becoming frightened as well at the sudden entrance. Alison immediately grabbed Jasmine and pulled her behind her, holding a hand up at Tori. "Hold on, don't hurt her!"

Tori was a bit taken aback. "What? What's going on?" She asked, lowering her blaster a bit, but not letting it go.

"She was only doing it to save me," Alison cried out, tears flowing down her face. "I'm sorry! Take me instead."

"I..." Tori blinked, stunned. She put the blaster back in it's holster, not feeling any more danger. She took her helmet off cautiously, holding it at her side as she moved closer, and took a deep breath. "Look, why don't you sit down and tell me what happened, Alison?"

"Okay," Alison sniffled and allowed Tori to move her and Jasmine over to the couch. Tori kneeled in front of them. "I'm sorry."

She nodded. "Just tell me what happened."

"Dad was hurting her!" Jasmine spoke up, before Alison could. "He said he wanted to put her out on the streets to make us money! I couldn't let him do it. It was my fault. I killed him."

Tori breathed out, feeling a pang of hurt in her chest. "Hey, if I had a sister and someone was hurting her.. I'd do anything to protect her. You thought it was what you had to do."

Jasmine stared at her. "So, am I going to be in trouble?"

"Well," Tori read Jasmine's mind for a moment, and made sure she was telling the truth. "We'll try to do everything we can to help you through this, okay? I promise."

From the doorway, Nikki's heart ached at this sight. She had never really seen Tori at work on a crime scene, and now completely understood why she was always regarded as one of the best - it was so obvious to her in that moment.

Before anything else happened, Alison noticed her in the doorway and stared at her in fear, but Nikki used her own power to calm both her and Jasmine's fear as she moved closer. "Tori's right," She said, making Tori look up at her. "We'll do anything to help you out."

Tori stood up and demorphed, looking Nikki over. "You showed up?"

"Sean called and told me something that made me realize you were right," Nikki sighed. "Besides, Jasmine didn't kill anybody. Homer was already dead before she started the fire."

The red chief gave a sigh of relief. "Thank god."

"That was really sweet," Nikki told her. "What you said to her. I guess I was wrong about you."

"I guess so," Tori pulled out her phone to look at the time, before looking back up at Nikki. "Can you handle this here? I have someone I need to talk to back at ER."

Nikki nodded. "Yeah, I can handle it."

"Thanks." She gave Nikki a small smile, before she turned and walked out of the house.

\- PRER -

Silas was laying in bed, covered partially by his sheets as he rolled over and smirked at the other occupant in his bed, Belladonna. Her eyes were closed, but they opened when she felt him staring at her. She looked up at him, her expression bored.

"Just because I'm in your bed, doesn't mean you get to stare at me while I try to sleep," Belladonna commented dryly.

"You'd never fall asleep in my bed," Silas scoffed. "You don't trust me enough for that."

Belladonna chuckled. "I guess you're not wrong. You know me well, Silas," She pushed herself up onto one elbow. "But, don't fool yourself. I know you just as well, if not better than you know me."

"I don't doubt that," Silas said, slyly. "Especially not with the work you did just now."

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe I'm just trying to get into your head with seduction."

Silas shrugged. "I'm fine with that. I don't see anyway I could lose there - I get sexual favors and you lose because I'm too smart to fall for any of your tricks. And, before you say anything, I know you know all of my tricks as well. We'll just have to see who's better this time."

Belladonna looked him over. "I guess we will." She looked to the door to make sure no one was there, before looking back to him. "Has the plan been set in motion yet?"

"Of course," Silas assured her, giving her a knowing look. "I'm always on top of my priorities."

"Good. Once Mark does what he needs to," Belladonna had a sadistic simper come across her face. "We'll be rid of those two red rangers for good. Are you sure he can do it?"

He almost laughed. "Mark is a mentally unstable man with superhuman endurance and a fixation on the two. What could go wrong?"

"You're risking this on him?!" Belladonna exclaimed, though kept her voice low so no one heard them. "Are you insane?"

Silas smirked. "He offered," He responded. "Besides, if anything goes awry, I'll kill him. Hell, if everything goes right, I'll kill him regardless."

Belladonna shook her head. "What if he's a snitch?"

"He _is_ a snitch," Silas pointed out. "The rangers already know where I am, but they're not gonna come here. I have guards everywhere, and contacts through the roof. They know if would be suicide to try to take me out." He got close to her and whispered, "It would be a bloodbath."

"I hope you're right, because if you're not, I'll kill you myself," Belladonna threatened, before pulling the sheets away from the bed to wrap around herself. "Get dressed. I don't want to look at you," She growled as she picked up her clothes and walked over to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

\- PRER -

Autumn was walking around outside of ER, planning to go on her way to get something to eat. From the back of an alleyway nearby, a shadowy figure watched her walk by. When she passed the alley entrance and kept walking, the figure ran to the back and down a strip behind a building until he came out in the back of another alley.

This one, he immediately had to duck behind a dumpster when he saw Tori walk up to Autumn and stop her just in front of where he was.

He watched as Autumn seemed to greet her, and Tori pulled her into the alley, a little ways away from him. He moved a little closer, though still hid in a place where they couldn't see him.

"We need to talk," Tori announced to Autumn, her hands on her hips.

The figure smirked to himself, reaching into the back of his pants to pull out a pistol. "The only person you'll be talking to after this is me, ladies."

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Emergency Responders:** After Tori and Autumn are attacked and taken by Mark, the two have to work quickly to escape, especially with one of them shot and bleeding out.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Kidnapping Reds

 **Yes, I left this off on a cliffhanger, but I've already started to work on the next part, so don't worry - you'll be able to see what happens next very soon. I'm really excited to get to work on the next one, since there will be a lot of good Autumn and Tori moments! I love having them work together because they're such a good pair!**

 **Also, I don't have a new poll up at this time, since I need to introduce all of the new rangers in PRGG, PRRF, and this one before I can poll you guys on your favorite. I'll announce when I have those polls up, though!**

 **Here's the lineup for the next five chapters!**

 **Ep 14: Purple Lieutenant -** New ranger appears!

 **Ep 15: Nutrition -** Taz focused chapter.

 **Ep 16: How You Love -** Jason focused chapter.

 **Ep 17: Pink Chief -** Nat focused chapter.

 **Ep 18: Animals -** Purple lieutenant focused chapter.

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you guys back with the next one!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	14. Ep 13: Kidnapping Reds

**Here's the next chapter! This one is slightly reminiscent of when Taz and Sean were kidnapped, but it will have it's own story to it as well. Hope you guys enjoy it!**

* * *

 **Last time on Power Rangers: Emergency Responders**

Autumn was walking around outside of ER, planning to go on her way to get something to eat. From the back of an alleyway nearby, a shadowy figure watched her walk by. When she passed the alley entrance and kept walking, the figure ran to the back and down a strip behind a building until he came out in the back of another alley.

This one, he immediately had to duck behind a dumpster when he saw Tori walk up to Autumn and stop her just in front of where he was.

He watched as Autumn seemed to greet her, and Tori pulled her into the alley, a little ways away from him. He moved a little closer, though still hid in a place where they couldn't see him.

"We need to talk," Tori announced to Autumn, her hands on her hips.

The figure smirked to himself, reaching into the back of his pants to pull out a pistol. "The only person you'll be talking to after this is me, ladies."

 **Now**

Autumn frowned slightly, hearing the scorn in Tori's voice. She was obviously upset with her, though it was beyond her to know why. In fact, Autumn didn't think she and Tori had even talked much that day.

"We do?" Autumn asked, confused. "Is something wrong?"

Tori huffed. "Yes, there is. You've been telling people that I recommended you to work here," She told her, startling Autumn. "Why are you doing that? And, how did you find that out?"

"First, I only told like two people," She assured her. "And I told them in defense of you, since they were talking about how cold you are. I said that that wasn't true, because you obviously care about us."

"How do you even know it's true?" Tori countered, without responding to what Autumn had said. In truth, she was flattered that Autumn felt such a way about her, as not many people did, but she wasn't about to share that with her.

"I don't know why you think I wouldn't believe that - I know the type of person you are, Tori." Autumn crossed her arms. "And I'm not going to stand here and say I think any differently."

Tori looked to the side, as if she was irritated. "You need to stop that."

Autumn made a face. "Stop what? I'm not doing anything wrong!"

"Stop trying to make this more than it is!" Tori exclaimed, her eyes blazing with emotion. "Stop acting like we're great friends! I don't have friends, okay?"

The red lieutenant countered with her own determined look. "Why don't you stop denying it? I..." She was cut off when she heard something from the side, and turned immediately to look over. "What was that?" She looked at Tori, to see her looking confused.

"What?" Tori raised an eyebrow, watching Autumn stare off to the side. "Did you hear something?"

Autumn nodded, but didn't verbally respond. She moved her foot in an effort to go towards the sound, when a large rock suddenly came hurdling towards her. She saw it too late and was hit in the head, getting knocked to the floor instantly.

Tori gasped and dropped to her knees beside Autumn, who was dazed. Autumn reached a hand up to touch her head, which was bleeding freely from a gash created by the rock. She looked up at Tori, who was leaning over her. "Are you alright?" Tori asked, offering a hand to help her stand.

She took her hand, "Yeah, yeah.. I'll be okay." Autumn mumbled, stumbling a bit as she stood. Tori steadied her.

"Yeah, you look fine," Tori gave her a pointed look. "Stay here for a second." She went a bit forwards, when a man suddenly jumped out from behind the dumpster, pointing a pistol at them. Tori moved back a bit, but gestured to her belt. "Hey, police! Drop your weapon, now!"

"Tori," Autumn grabbed her shoulder lightly, and Tori looked back to see her blinking owlishly at her.

The red chief cursed under her breath, seeing Autumn moments away from collapsing. "Hey, you're gonna be fine, alright?" Tori paused for a second, before hesitantly wrapping her arm around Autumn to keep her steady. She turned back to the man, who was still pointing the pistol at them. "Drop it!"

He licked his lips and smiled devilishly at them. "Not a chance."

 _BANG!_

 **\- Cue Opening -**

The next day, Nikki, Jason, and Owen made their way down the hall to the chief base, looking to follow up on the case they had all solved the day before. Since they had worked together with the chiefs, it only made sense to them to meet back up with the chiefs and see how it was going, or if they could help.

When they made it into the chief base, they were a bit surprised to find the chiefs waiting around. "Were you expecting us earlier or something?" Nikki asked, frowning in confusion.

"No, we're waiting for Tori..." Joey trailed off, looking between the three. "Wait, where's Autumn?"

Masters looked at the two teams, "Both Tori and Autumn are missing? They're not usually ones to be late, especially Tori."

"Maybe they're.. you know, together," Owen suggested, crossing his arms. "I mean, it's not unusual for two people who work together to get with each other."

"Yeah okay, but Tori?" Sean raised an eyebrow.

Taz sighed. "I hate to say it about her, but I agree. Tori's not the emotional attachment type."

"Why does it have to be an attachment?" Owen gave them a knowing look. "Not saying it's bad to have one, but not everyone does. Some people like it no-strings attached."

Jason cleared his throat a bit awkwardly, "Ignoring Tori's feelings, I don't think Autumn seems like the kind of person that likes it like that."

Owen looked a bit defeated. "Well, then I don't know where they are."

Lia, from her position next to Masters, gave a worried look. "That's not good. This is not normal; not at all."

"Hopefully it's nothing," Sera said, not looking up from the computer she was at. "We should wait for a little while and see if they come in. If not, we should look into searching for them."

"Okay," Sean, who was in charge with Tori gone, nodded. "We'll wait and look into the case from yesterday until they come in. If they don't within the next few hours, we'll look into it."

Masters agreed with his statement. "You heard him, let's get to work, but keep track of the clock. If they're not here in a few hours, I'll get more resources to come in to help us find them." He gestured for them to go, and they reluctantly did, leaving Lia and Masters to watch over them.

\- PRER -

"Autumn?" A voice came from somewhere beside or above her - Autumn couldn't really tell. Her head was spinning and she felt like she was stuck underwater.

 _Concussion_ , Was the first thing that came to her mind. She idly wondering why she hadn't started healing yet, before remembering that she couldn't heal while unconscious because her power took energy and effort to use, which is something she didn't really have while unconscious.

There was a hand placed on her shoulder, which was then moved to her neck. Fingers were checking her pulse, and she thought that was a bit strange. She didn't really remember what happened, but she didn't think it was enough to warrant a pulse check.

Besides the concussion, she really felt fine. Though, depending on how long she had been unconscious, she could see why someone would be concerned about her being alive or not.

"Hey, Autumn," The voice was firmer this time and, as Autumn drifted back into a higher level of consciousness, she recognized it as a female voice. "Come on, wake up. I can't get out of this alone, okay? So, you can get up now, if you're done with your nap, Sleeping Beauty."

At that comment, Autumn suddenly recognized the person above her as Tori. She tried to open her eyes, but just ended up wrinkling her face into a wince. Immediately, Tori's hand moved back to her shoulder and gripped it tightly. "Autumn? Can you hear me?"

She titled her head to the side, and forced her eyes open, finding herself staring up at Tori. "Yes," She responded, after a short moment. "And it's nice to know you think I'm beautiful."

"What? Oh," Tori rolled her eyes. "I never suspected you to be the type to joke in a rough situation."

"Rough situation?"

A flash of worry crossed Tori's face, but disappeared as quickly as it appeared. "We were kidnapped by that crazy son of bitch, Mark. That rock he threw at you knocked you out last night."

"Last night?" Autumn gasped, sitting up suddenly. She instantly regretted it when black spots came across her vision and she felt faint. Luckily, in a few moments, the feeling passed and she was left to look back at Tori. "I've been out that long?"

Tori shook her head. "No, you've been in and out. I think you might have a concussion." She gestured to her forehead. "That was a pretty big rock, left you with a nice cut."

Autumn reached up to touch the gash, but pulled away quickly when it caused a pain to flare through her head. She was glad, however, to know that she was now healing herself as she was awake. "It'll be fine," She thought for a moment, before frowning as something dawned on her. "Did he hurt you?"

The red chief was silent for a moment. "I'm okay."

"Of course you are," Autumn said sarcastically as she turned back to look at her again. Now that she could really see Tori, she could see that she was pale and sweaty, and had a slightly restless look on her face. Her breath was also coming at an increased rate. She looked, to put it simply, like a mess. "You look like you're going into shock. What happened?"

Tori shifted uncomfortably, a strained look appearing on her face. "How do you know?"

"I'm a paramedic." Autumn said, not unkindly. She moved closer to Tori, putting her hand up to her neck to feel her pulse, only to find it a bit faster than normal. "You're definitely a little shocky, Tori. What... Oh my god," Autumn looked down to see Tori's hand pressed firmly against a place on her abdomen, and her hand was covered in blood.

"I got shot," Tori answered before Autumn could ask. "It's been quite a fun day." She muttered, before taking a deep breath and moving her hand to let Autumn see. "How bad is it?"

By the look on Autumn's face, it was bad. Autumn checked her over as routinely as possible without any equipment, before looking back up at her face. "It's.. not as bad as you'd think. I can't really do anything to check for internal damage, but considering you're not worse off, it doesn't seem like it would be anything immediately life threatening."

"So, it _is_ life threatening, just not _now_ ," Tori concluded. "Okay, well how, exactly, can you be so sure?"

Autumn took her hand and placed it back on top of her wound. "Keep pressure on it, and I can tell by your level of hypovolemic shock. You've had this since last night, and you're only at level two. I mean, it's not good, but you'll be okay until we can get out of here." She pushed herself to her feet, putting a hand to her head as she got dizzy.

Tori reached out her other hand and put it on Autumn's leg, looking up at her from her sitting position against the wall. "Maybe you should sit back down."

The red lieutenant sighed. "I wish, but I can't. I need to figure out how to get us out of here, or else you'll bleed out."

"What can I do to help?"

Autumn almost laughed, humorlessly. "Just keep your hand on the wound and concentrate on breathing and keeping yourself calm. Don't move, or else the bullet could lodge itself somewhere you don't want it."

"Then get it out," Tori suggested. "Why risk that? I'm gonna have to move eventually."

"Not yet." Autumn told her. "I'll get it out just before we have to get out of here. Taking it out is risky without proper equipment, and we don't know how long we're gonna be here for."

Tori rolled her eyes. "Just do it, or I will myself."

She looked down at Tori, and sighed again, kneeling back to the ground. She leaned over Tori, flexing her fingers as she thought about how to do this. Autumn looked back at Tori's face again. "You sure? This'll hurt like a bitch."

"I'm sure." Tori nodded.

Autumn ripped off a part of her shirt and gave it to Tori to clench between her teeth. She took a deep breath to prepare herself, and got to work.

\- PRER -

Silas was sitting in his office, looking at a holographic call from Mark, who was shifting on his feet and scratching his arm nervously. He watched the man in boredom, waiting for him to speak up and say what he needed to.

After a few moments of waiting, Silas rolled his eyes and spoke up himself, "Well? What's happening?"

"They're here," Mark whispered, as if he was afraid someone would hear him. "They're in my underground maze."

"It's not a maze, it's the sewers," Silas muttered, irritatedly. "And what are they doing?"

Mark shrugged. "I haven't seen them in a while. The lieutenant was out cold the last time I saw her, and the chief was shot." He paused for a moment, listening for noises. When he did, he heard low speaking from the nearby area. "They're awake."

"Find them!" Silas demanded, slamming his hand on the table. "If the chief is shot, she'll die from blood loss regardless - kill the lieutenant."

The man on the other end looked nervous, "Are you sure, Silas? What if we get caught?"

Silas glared. "Are you insulting me? I have _never_ gotten caught in my life, Mark," He growled out. "Now, are you going to work with me or against me? Because I have an easy way to show you what happens to people who work against me."

"I..." Mark pulled out a pocket knife, showing it to him. "I'll stab her."

"Show me." Silas leaned back in his chair and watched as Mark slowly walked into the other, approaching the two young women. The chief was leaning against the wall with her eyes clenched in pain and a piece of fabric between her teeth, while the lieutenant was leaning over her with bloody hands. There was a bullet on the floor, meaning she had taken it out successfully.

The lieutenant turned to look up and gasped in shock, making the chief opened her eyes instantly. The two looked up defensively, the lieutenant pushing her way to her feet and standing protectively in front of the chief.

Silas watched as a brief struggle between Mark and the lieutenant broke out, prompting the chief to attempt to push herself to her feet. She eventually made it up in time to see the red lieutenant get stabbed on the right side of her chest.

"Autumn!" The chief cried, as Autumn yelled out in pain. She rushed forward to catch Autumn before she could fall to the floor, and grabbed Mark's hand before he could stab her again.

"Tori," Autumn said in warning, her voice breathy.

The red chief, or Tori, glanced back at her before grabbing the hand that had the knife in it and turning it on Mark, plunging it into his stomach. Silas watched in slight shock as this occurred. Tori then grabbed Mark by his collar and threw him out of the room with as much strength as she could muster.

She walked back over to the holographic phone, picking it up and looking Silas in the eye as she breathed heavily and winced in pain. "You'll never win, Silas. Try again next time."

Tori threw the phone back at Mark, who caught it before it could hit the ground. He made his way back up to his feet and stumbled painfully out of the room. Silas was still watching from his office, before he suddenly turned the phone off. He looked to Thorn, who was standing at the entrance with Bones.

"Get that son of a bitch here, alive," He hissed. "I'm going to kill him before he can even think about what's next."

Thorn nodded once. "Right away, boss."

Silas turned to look back out the window, when a hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked up to see Bones standing next to him, a surprisingly sympathetic look on his face. Silas sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I'm good." He told him, before the two looked back out the window in silence.

\- PRER -

Tori fell to her knees ungracefully beside Autumn, trying desperately to see her wound. Autumn, however, wasn't having it. She pulled away as good as she could and held her hand over the wound, grimacing in pain.

"Come on, Autumn," Tori hissed, before taking a deep breath and calming herself. She put her hand over Autumn's, lightly. "Autumn, please. Let me see," As she held her hand over Autumn's, she not only felt a strange sensation come over her, she also had a pang of nervousness suddenly in her chest.

This wasn't necessarily unusual when she was around Autumn, but Tori never felt it with anyone else. Holding her hand only made that feeling grow to a point that Tori was almost overtaken with it as she stared down at her.

Before she could think about it any further, Autumn slowly moved her hand out from under Tori's, breaking her out of her thoughts. "Did you feel that?" Autumn asked, looking up at her with pain-filled eyes. Tori looked into her eyes and felt more worried than she had with anyone before.

"Umm.. what do you mean?" Tori asked, stumbling over her words.

"When you touched my hand," Autumn explained, making Tori blush slightly, until she continued. "The healing?"

"Healing?"

Autumn nodded, sucking in a deep breath. "My healing, remember? I automatically start to heal the minute I get injured."

"Oh," Tori cleared her throat, realizing her train of thought was completely different than Autumn's. "Yeah, I could feel it." She looked down at her own injury, having thought she wasn't feeling it because of adrenaline. "Did you...?"

She chuckled breathlessly. "I tried. Didn't get very far - you're moving into stage three of hypovolemia."

Tori raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, well, what about you?"

Autumn shifted uncomfortably on the floor, pushing herself up on one side before Tori helped her to sit against the wall. She had a strangely amused look on her face. "Somehow this seems similar to earlier, though our positions were switched." She looked Tori over. "You should relax too, you need it more than I do. I'll heal quickly and we can get out of here."

"What were you thinking?" Tori asked, ignoring her statement. "You may be able to heal, but you can still die. What if he had stabbed you in the heart or something? What would I have done if you..." She trailed off, staring at Autumn with wide eyes as she stopped herself.

The red lieutenant's expression went soft, "I'm sorry. I couldn't let you get hurt, Tori..." She looked down. "I just couldn't."

Tori looked down, her face hot from embarrassment. "Of course you couldn't, we're teammates, sort of. I feel the same."

"It's not like that," Autumn told her, emotion shining in her eyes. "You and I both know it."

"Don't." Tori looked back up at Autumn. Her facade of strength was gone. "You can't do this to me, not right now."

Autumn scowled. "When else are we going to talk about this? I can see it in your eyes, Tori. I know you and I.. feel the same way."

"You..." Tori took a deep breath, before pursing her lips with a pained look on her face. "How could you say that? You barely know me, and I barely know you."

"But it's enough. You have the same thoughts."

"I don't know why," Tori admitted. "You just.. you've gotten under my skin! I don't know how you've done it, but you need to stop!"

She stared at Tori. "Why?"

"Because..." The red chief trailed off, staring back at her. "You're scaring me," She whispered. "I'm not used to this."

Autumn nodded. "I understand." She held her hand out and, after a long moment, Tori took it hesitantly. "If we don't make it out of here, I want you to know that I feel the same and don't regret it at all."

Tori felt a stray tear escape her eyes before she made a split second decision. She leaned forward and kissed Autumn, before the two pulled away a bit and stayed there with their heads touching lightly. "Okay."

"Yeah," Autumn breathed out, stunned. She put a hand up to her wound. "It's well enough for us to move now."

Shocked out of her stupor, Tori pulled away completely and nodded. "We should figure out how to get out of here, then." She said, feeling the affects of blood loss starting to take it's toll. "Definitely now."

\- PRER -

The others sat in a heavy silence in the chief base, working on various things while trying to avoid the obvious elephant in the room. Masters sat diligently watching the clock, his arms crossed firmly across his chest. His body was radiating worry, being very tense, and everyone could feel it.

Lia, who was sitting next to him, squirmed restlessly in her seat. "Lincoln..."

"Wait," Masters held up a hand to stop her from talking. He didn't take his eyes off the clock.

Everyone else, however, stopped their tasks to turn back to them, waiting for his order. They were all highly aware of the silence, as it spoke louder than any words they could've spoken in that moment.

It was deafening.

Masters continued to look at the clock, waiting until it ticked by for another minute, then turned to them. "They've been gone too long," He finally announced.

The fact that they were finally able to look for Tori and Autumn was extremely relieving to everyone in the room, but it was also extremely concerning, since it really meant that something was wrong. The two reds could be anywhere.

Suddenly, before anyone could do anything, Jason felt a small pang in his head. He shook his head slightly, trying to relieve it before anyone noticed. Instantly, however, that small movement attracted everyone's attention, as they knew what that meant.

Logan stood up and walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder as the pain grew immensely and rapidly. Jason groaned in pain and clutched his head as he got a vision.

 _Tori and Autumn were in a dark room with water dripping from the ceilings and accumulating on the ground. Autumn pushed herself to her feet, bringing a hand immediately up to hold over a still bleeding wound on her chest. She reached down and hauled Tori to her feet, the other young woman stumbling and barely able to hold herself up._

 _"Come on," Autumn whispered to her, wrapping her arm around Tori's waist._ _When she did so, Autumn made a point to hold Tori's hand to the wound on her side with her own hand. "I've got you."_

 _She pulled Tori forward as fast as they could go, which wasn't very fast, given both of their current states. While Autumn was still in pain and bleeding, she was nowhere near the condition Tori was in._

 _The red chief was pale and sweaty, and was breathing like she was running a marathon. She was also obviously having a hard time concentrating on anything, and was silent as Autumn pulled her along._

 _Autumn seemed to know the seriousness of situation, and could tell that Tori was having a hard time continuing forward. "I know this is hard, but we have to get out of here. You won't make it if we don't."_

 _"Ok.. okay," Tori mumbled, letting Autumn drag her to safety, feeling too weak to do much more._

Jason was suddenly thrown out of the vision, finding himself looking back at the concerned looks of the others surrounding him. He rubbed his head to rid himself of the residual pain before he spoke.

"I know where they are." Jason told them. "And we need to get there. Fast."

\- PRER -

Autumn hissed in pain as she dragged Tori along, feeling the pressure of Tori's weight pull on her injury. She didn't want to mention that she was unable to heal while the two were making their way out of the sewers, especially not with Tori hanging off of her bad side.

She thought briefly about switching sides, but quickly dismissed that idea as her right side was her strong side, and it allowed her to keep her hand pressed onto Tori's wound to further stem the bleeding.

Without the bullet in Tori's side, the wound was freely bleeding, but Autumn knew it was the thing she had to do. If they were moving like they were now with that bullet still in her, it could've moved around and punctured an organ or vein, threatening internal hemorrhaging.

It was a difficult situation, and Autumn was just hoping that she made the right decision. She hoped even more so when she felt Tori sagging against her.

"Help!" She screamed, not knowing what else to do. She couldn't go any faster than she was, and she did desperately need help. "Please! Someone help us!"

Her yelling seemed to have grasped Tori's attention, but not by much. Anything, however, was welcome by Autumn's standards as she pulled Tori towards a light she could see in the distance. It was the exit to the sewers, and Autumn didn't think she had ever felt happier to see the outside world in her life.

"Help, please!" Autumn yelled again, and this time she got a response.

"Autumn?" A voice called from the exit. She looked ahead to see the person the voice belonged to, finding it to be Owen. "Autumn! Oh shit," He turned around. "Hey, we need a paramedics here, now!"

Owen rushed forward to catch them as Autumn stumbled and nearly fell, sending them sprawling to the ground. Autumn looked up at Owen, who had herself and Tori clutched carefully in his arms, pulling them towards the exit.

"Come on, now!" Owen demanded.

She watched as the ceiling above her turned into a gloomy sky, and breathed out in shock and relief as she fell into unconsciousness.

\- PRER -

Silas waited impatiently in his office, his arms crossed. Bones stood diligently beside him, also waiting with him. The two had laid a tarp down on the large floor, and Silas was holding a large machete in his hands.

He looked over at Bones, who nodded once at him. Silas nodded back and took in a deep breath as Thorn burst in through the door, throwing Mark on the tarp in front of all of them.

"Finally," Silas looked over the older man. He was sniveling on the ground with a hand pressed to his stomach, where a knife was protruding from his body. "I presume this is what you got from the red chief."

Mark looked up at him, a fearful look on his face. "Yes."

"I see." Silas began to circle him, hitting his heel on his toe as he walked slowly around Mark. "And I also presume you may want someone to heal you, since you can't go to the doctor after committing such a crime."

"Yes." Mark nodded once more. "Please."

The crime lord scoffed, moving to quickly place his sword against his throat, though not enough to cut it. "You've made a mistake thinking you deserve anything other than death."

"I'm sorry! Please, I'll do anything!" Mark exclaimed. He looked from Silas to Bones and Thorn, who stared unflinchingly at him. "Please! Anybody?"

Silas smirked. "You think they'll help you? That's even more pathetic than I thought. Perhaps I'll take pity on you," He drawled, pulling the machete away from Mark's throat, only to plunge it through the side of his neck, killing him instantly. "But I don't take pity on anyone, especially not from someone as pathetic as you."

Thorn looked at the dead man on the floor, and then back at Silas. "Good kill, boss."

"I know, Thorn," Silas took a handkerchief out and began to clean the blood off of his hands. "Now, clean this mess up. By the time I get back from seeing Belladonna, I want this room spotless."

He threw his handkerchief on the floor and exited the room, leaving Thorn and Bones with his mess.

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Emergency Responders:** When Silas has someone try to smuggle drugs out of the country, the lieutenants employ the assistance of a new person to help them. Meanwhile, Tori and Autumn recover physically and mentally from their kidnapping.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Purple Lieutenant

 **Autumn and Tori have officially confirmed feelings for each other! I can't say much about their relationship, but I will say that their situation with each other will be very complicated and frustrating. Despite that, I do really love their relationship with each other, and I hope you guys do too!**

 **I still do not have the new poll up yet, but I will let you know when that will be. I'm pretty sure it's going to be PRGG that's up next, but that really depends on which story gets to all of the new rangers first, so we will see which that is soon!**

 **Here's the lineup for the next five chapters!**

 **Ep 15: Nutrition -** Taz focused chapter.

 **Ep 16: Decision -** Jason focused chapter.

 **Ep 17: Pink Chief -** Nat focused chapter.

 **Ep 18: Animals -** Purple lieutenant focused chapter.

 **Ep 19: Mood -** Sean focused chapter.

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you guys back with the next one!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	15. Ep 14: Purple Lieutenant

**Hey guys! I know I've been gone for a bit this month, but the reasons I was gone were pretty much unavoidable (I was sick and then my computer had issues) so I hope you're not too broken up on that! Anyways, about this chapter, I will say in advance that Tori and Autumn's relationship is probably not going to take a turn like you'd expect (or enjoy), but I'll explain below about it.**

 **Also, even though I have a new ranger in this chapter, there will be no new cover photo or video yet, since the next ranger is coming in a few chapters and I decided to have them together.**

 **Moran is portrayed by Ashley Greene**

* * *

Silas sat in his office chair, waiting for the person he had hired to join him in his office. Belladonna was also waiting beside him, dressed only in a skimpy robe and looking extremely impatient.

He thought to himself that he would be impatient too, if it weren't for the various bags laying on his desk in front of him. They were large, tightly packed bags of various kinds of drugs from simple weed to heavy duty heroin all stored separately from each other and ready to be sold, permitting that his seller would arrive to do so.

The mere idea so how much money he would be making once his seller smuggled the drugs out of the country and distributed them was enough to keep Silas content and patiently waiting for a while.

It wasn't enough for Belladonna, however, who was glaring daggers at the back of his head.

"Yes?" Silas asked with a sigh.

"How much longer do we have to wait for this?" Belladonna hissed, crossing her arms tightly. "I'm not waiting around for you forever, Silas. Why not let Thorn handle this?"

Silas nearly laughed out loud. "Thorn?" He asked incredulously. "I don't trust Thorn enough for this. He's an imbecile!"

"Okay," She rolled her eyes. "What about Bones, then? He never does much."

He frowned, turning back to her with a hard look. "Do not underestimate Bones, Belladonna. I trust him more than anyone else on this Earth, but given his inability to speak, I don't believe it would be a good idea to let him make a deal with someone."

Belladonna raised an eyebrow with intrigue. "He's done more than this before."

"Yes, _before_ ," Silas pointed out. "Not now. I wouldn't ask that of him."

She chuckled. "Are you afraid he's gonna get hurt?"

"That is none of your concern." Silas growled, his fists clenching in a way that made even Belladonna flinch away from him, though she was incredibly curious about this. She had no idea that Silas was close with any of his men, so this was interesting news.

Before she could respond back, the door opened loudly and an older man was shoved ungracefully into the room. He was short with graying hair and looked to be in his late 40s. Belladonna smirked a bit at this man, finding it amusing that this was the man Silas had chosen to smuggle and sell drugs for him.

On the other hand, Silas seemed immensely pleased when the man came into the room, his face lighting up like a child on Christmas morning.

The crime lord stood quickly, walking around his desk to look him up and down, before nodding at him. "Harold, it's nice to finally see you again after so long."

Harold nodded back once. "Yeah, it has been a long time, hasn't it? The last time I saw you, you were a just a kid working for your dad, and now you've risen up to be even better than he was. I'm proud of you,"

"Thank you," Silas cleared his throat uncomfortably, just as Harold noticed Belladonna. "This is Belladonna Letford," He turned to her. "Belladonna, this is Harold Corbin, an old accomplice of mine."

"Pleasure, I'm sure," Belladonna said, watching Harold closely as he eyed her.

"She's quite something, Silas." Harold commented. "Good luck with that one."

Silas chuckled. "I'll need it." He turned and picked up the bags of drugs, lifting them into a suitcase, before zipping it up and handing it off to Harold. "I would make sure you know what you're doing, but I know you already do. You'll let me know as soon as you get back?"

He gave a sly look. "Jeez, kid, it's like you don't even know me. Of course," He clapped Silas on the back, before grabbing the suitcase and rolling it out of the room.

"So," Belladonna spoke up after Harold was gone. "You were just a kid working for his dad, huh?"

"Don't start," Silas warned, turning back to her with an even more deadly look than earlier. "Are we gonna do this or not? Because my patience is running thin."

Belladonna walked up to him, giving him a passionate kiss, before pulling away and rubbing her hand down his chest. "Alright, but that doesn't mean I'll forget this," She told him, stalking seductively past him. "I'll be in the bedroom."

"Of course you will," Silas muttered as he followed closely behind her, stepping over her robe as she dropped it on the floor on the way in the room.

 **\- Cue Opening -**

Early the next morning, a young woman was walking quietly down the hall of her police station in Riverview, the town right next to Waverly, holding tightly onto the leash of her dog, Katie, who was trotting happily beside her. She was walking alone, besides for her dog, and was generally not talking to anyone she was walking past, even if she knew them.

She gave an occasionally smile or wave, but didn't speak up or greet anyone outside of that.

The young woman was dressed in a standard police uniform, with her name tag reading **BLUE** in bold letters and sign saying **K-9** unit on it. She stood at about 5'5 and had long brown hair, gray eyes, and light tan skin. She also had a slim, but still muscular figure and a beautiful face.

As she walked into the main area as usual, she heard a whistle from the side and turned her head to see her boss gesture for her to come in his office. She nodded and followed him in, sitting down silently in one of the chairs across from his desk.

"Officer Blue, I have some news for you," The sheriff announced, moving around some papers on his desk. "You're being transferred to the Emergency Responders base in Waverly. I've spoken to Lia Carter, the lieutenant base's captain, and she'd like you to join her unit. I've agreed to have you moved - it'll be the best thing for you."

"What?" She responded, not knowing what else to say.

He nodded. "Yep. This'll be the best career move you'll make, alright? They've already got a job and are ready for your presence today as they move in to handle it."

"Is this necessary?" Officer Blue asked nervously.

"I'm afraid so, but I think you'll enjoy it once you've settled in. Look, Moran, I know you're shy and it's probably gonna be hard at first, but you'll meet some great people there and will be paid much more than you will be here." The sheriff told her. "I promise it's a good move."

 _Can I come with you, Moran?_ Katie looked questioningly up at Moran, who looked down instantly at the sound.

The sheriff gave her a look, silently asking Moran to reiterate what Katie had said to her. "Umm.. is Katie coming with me?"

"Of course." He chuckled. "You think I'd send you off without her? No way. Besides, you're the only one I know who can communicate with her, so it only makes sense."

Moran smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Sheriff."

"No problem," The sheriff nodded at her. "Now get going, and make us all proud."

"Of course." She assured him, standing up. "Come on, Katie." She waved at the sheriff one last time, before exiting his office and making her way to leave.

\- PRER -

Autumn sat awkwardly on Tori's couch at her apartment, looking around and unaware of what to do. Tori had been released from the hospital the day before, but was still weak and unable to do much, so Autumn had offered to look after her a bit, especially since she was the only other one off of work.

It had taken some prodding to get Tori to allow Autumn to do so, but after realizing how worn she still was from the incident, Tori had eventually given in to Autumn's care, though had claimed she was only okay with it because Autumn was a paramedic who knew what she was doing.

Besides that, the two hadn't really talked about what happened during the attack or between them.

Actually, it was the only thing the two hadn't talked about. Tori had made conversation with Autumn since then, mostly because she was the only one who was there the whole time, as everyone else had work, and Autumn had spoken to her a lot too, but not as much as usual.

In fact, Tori was quite surprised that Autumn wasn't lively nor had mentioned what happened yet, though she never said anything. Autumn could tell, however, that Tori wanted to ask but didn't.

The thought that perhaps Tori had read her mind instead of asking crossed her mind briefly, but she dismissed that rapidly. If Tori had read her mind, she wouldn't still be giving Autumn that slightly concerned look that was not very well concealed by other expressions.

Along with that, Autumn trusted Tori not to betray her trust like that. It was one thing to read a criminal's mind, but a whole other thing to read a friend's without their permission, and she was sure that Tori wouldn't do that to her.

Now, after having spent the night on Tori's couch, Autumn wasn't sure what she was going to do. Tori was most likely still fast asleep in the other room, needing more rest with the injuries she sustained and was still recovering from.

Autumn, on the other hand, had already physically recovered and didn't need that extra rest. She figured that since she was still off of work, due to Lia's insistence that she still needed time, to which Autumn agreed with, she definitely _should_ get more sleep if she could.

The problem was that she couldn't.

Since their kidnapping, Autumn had been unable to get a full night's sleep except when she had been in the hospital for the first night. Besides that, it had been sleepless nights and nightmares that plagued her.

And it was really taking it's toll. She felt like she was running herself ragged when she wasn't doing anything at all.

It was awful.

Despite Autumn's knowledge of medicine, she had no idea what to do about it. She wasn't an expert on sleeping patterns, or psychology, so she was at a loss.

She thought about bringing it up to someone, but decided against it before she could do so. Autumn didn't want any attention brought on her for this, and was just hoping for it to go away on it's own.

Rubbing a hand over her face and sighing, she stood and walked towards the hall, peering into Tori's room. The red chief was still asleep, like Autumn had figured, so she left her alone and walked towards the bathroom instead.

Looking at herself in the mirror that morning, Autumn could completely see why Lia told her she still needed time. She looked worn and unlike herself - it wasn't often that she ever saw herself like this, let alone have others see her like this.

In fact, the only people that ever saw her like this were very close friends who she could lean on for support when she was going through hard times, which was very much appreciated.

Unlike most of the others, Autumn had always had a very _normal_ life. She was an only child and always had her parents standing beside her through everything in life. Now that she was older, she didn't want to go back to her parents when she was having a bad day, and instead turned to one of her good friends.

Since she had become a ranger, however, she didn't really have many of those confidants anymore. Sure, she was close to all of the others, but none of them were people she talked to about tough times.

The only person she could really think of to do that with was Tori, but she doubted that would go anywhere.

It was strange not having a person like that anymore. All of her life, Autumn had had someone she could lean on when she needed it, and now that she didn't, it felt like a part of her was ripped away.

Not only that, but it also felt like she couldn't really handle her problems nowadays. She had never really learned how to deal with her problems just by herself and being alone now was chilling, to say the least.

"You're still here?" A voice startled her out of her thoughts, and she turned suddenly to see Tori leaning lightly against the door frame, eyeing her with mild amusement. "I never took you for the slacker type."

Autumn raised an eyebrow, hoping she didn't look as beat as she thought she did. "What?"

"Well, you're not back at work," Tori pointed out. "I didn't think you were the type to slack off like that. I always figured Owen to be more like that,"

"I'm not allowed to go back yet." Autumn muttered, yawning briefly. "Lia won't let me."

Tori looked her over, a questioning look coming over her features. "I can see why. You look burnt out, no offense."

"Oh," Autumn waved it off, embarrassed. "No, I'm fine. Besides, you're the one that got shot, you know,"

She nodded. "I see. So, just because someone else is hurt, that means your pain automatically doesn't matter." Tori concluded, making Autumn blush in embarrassment once more. "Look, I won't make you tell me what's wrong, but if you want to talk about it, I have nothing better to do."

The red lieutenant rubbed her arm awkwardly. "Umm.. do you, maybe, want some breakfast or something? I could make something, or go out and get something if you prefer."

"You don't think I'm..." Tori trailed off, looking at Autumn again. She was going to make a snide remark, but Autumn just looked so depressed, as she had been looking since the incident. She wouldn't talk about it, and Tori wouldn't make her, but she really wanted to. She couldn't stand to see her look as sad as she did. "That would be nice. Do you know how to cook?"

Autumn gave a small smile, "Of course. What do you like?"

Tori shrugged. "Anything, really. I like fruit and.. you know what I haven't had in a while? Pancakes. Think you could do that? Maybe with blueberries or strawberries?"

She looked down, almost guiltily. "Well, I can't actually use strawberries - I'm allergic, which I realize is probably very strange, but I can definitely do blueberries."

"Yeah, that's fine." Tori chuckled. "Mind if I take a shower while you do that?"

"No, go ahead. I don't mind," Autumn said, not realizing she was standing in the way.

The red chief smirked, amused. "You're blocking my way,"

"What? Oh!" Autumn immediately moved out of the bathroom, her hand brushing lightly against Tori's, who moved away awkwardly. "Sorry."

"It's no problem, okay?" Tori assured her, waiting for her to nod before she closed the bathroom door, leaving Autumn alone in the hallway.

\- PRER -

Moran walked down the hall of ER awkwardly, looking at signs on the wall to determine where to go rather than asking the various employees and students roaming through the halls around her. Katie was walking obediently beside her, wearing her K-9 unit harness so people knew why she was there.

She kept her head straight, and avoiding making any real eye contact with anyone, knowing that the people working here could be very serious and very tough, especially with outsiders or threats.

It also crossed her mind that it was possible that ER didn't have a K-9 unit, which could explain some of the questioning looks she was getting. Regardless, she tried to ignore them as she walked Katie to the lieutenant base.

Entering the lieutenant base, Moran was thoroughly impressed. There was a lot of highly advanced equipment and the room was very well kept, leaving her in a state of awe.

"Excuse me," A hand touched her shoulder, and she turned immediately to face the young woman behind her. "Are you supposed to be here? Do you need help finding your way somewhere?"

"Umm..." Moran stared at her, not knowing what to say.

Another young woman cleared her throat, "Sophie, that's K-9 Unit Officer Moran Blue," The blonde woman replied, coming up to them. "Lia requested her to be transferred to work with us."

Sophie raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You're the new lieutenant?"

"Uh.. yes, I suppose," Moran nodded, standing between them awkwardly.

"Oh, well, I'm so sorry. I'm Sophie Wilkson," She shook Moran's hand. "I'm an intern here, as well as a paramedic. This is my partner, Andromeda Grace, but you can call her Andi."

"Nice to meet you." Moran smiled as she looked between the two.

There was a small pause, before Andi gestured to a small group of people on the other side of the room. "Those are the other lieutenants," She told her. "Hey, Lia, your new recruit is here!"

Lia and the three lieutenants perked up at this, all looking over at Moran, who blushed shyly. Lia gestured for her to come over, which she did slowly. "Rangers, this is Officer Moran Blue. She's going to be joining us from now on." She briefly looked down at Katie and sniffled. "And you brought your dog, how funny."

Moran rubbed her arm uneasily, worried she had done something wrong. "Well, I am in the K-9 unit."

"Yeah, of course." Lia nodded. "I'm just mildly allergic to dogs, but that's fine - it's nothing to worry about. Anyways, as said, Moran is in the K-9 unit, which means she's a police officer with a trained dog, like this one. She also has the ability to speak with animals, which is why she was chosen for her job, correct?"

She nodded. "Yes," Moran looked down at Katie, who was looking questioningly up at her. _This is where we work now._ Moran told her, and while Katie didn't verbally respond, she made it clear she was aware.

"Moran, these are three of the four current lieutenant rangers," Lia explained, gesturing to them, "This is forensics scientist and blue ranger Jason Johston, detective and yellow ranger Nicole Keegan, and fireman and green ranger Owen Lalley."

"It's nice to meet you," Nikki smiled brightly. "And you can call me Nikki, if you want."

"Okay," Moran looked around at them. "It'll be nice to get to know you guys."

Lia held up a folder. "You'll have time for that later. We would've given you more time to get adjusted but we needed you as soon as possible for our new case," She opened the folder and showed them a picture of a middle aged man. "This is Harold Corbin, a drug smuggler. We've been tipped off that he's leaving the country today with a shipment from Silas himself."

Owen raised a skeptical eyebrow. "He's just gonna get on a plane with pounds of drugs and think no one's gonna say anything?"

"Actually, he has a private plane," Lia responded, giving him a look. "He's not that stupid, and he's been doing this for a long time. You guys need to catch him at the airport, and Moran's dog will, hopefully, sniff out the drugs."

Nikki looked down at Katie, before looking to Moran. "What's her name?"

Moran smiled, "It's Katie."

"That's a sweet name," Nikki held her hand out to Katie, who smelled it before allowing Nikki to pet her. "She's a nice dog."

"Yeah, she was trained very well," Moran nodded.

"Enough chit chat." Lia interrupted them, handing Jason the photo. "You should get the to airport now and stake out. I don't know when he'll get there, but you need to be ready when he does."

They nodded and followed Jason out, passing by the chief base on the way out. Joey peered out of the doorway, spotting Moran going with them, and turned back to Sean and Taz with a confused look. "Hey, how come the lieutenants have someone filling in for Autumn but we don't have anyone for Tori?"

"They don't have someone filling in for Autumn," Sean replied, making a face. "Not that I know of. Taz?"

"I haven't heard anything." Taz shook her head.

Sera turned in her chair, peering back at them, "Moran isn't a fill in, she's the new lieutenant,"

"New lieutenant?" Sean asked, a bit shocked. "Why would they be getting a new ranger?"

She shrugged. "She has experience on the field, and they need her for the drug bust they're doing today. Does it bother you or something?"

Joey looked off to the side, "No, but if they're getting a new ranger, then shouldn't we? I mean, it's only fair."

The intern gave them a contemplative look. "Well, if they're lower ranked than you guys, them getting a new ranger would only put them on the same level as you, not higher, so I don't know if you should really be too worried."

"Hey, I love the lieutenants, don't get me wrong," Taz started. "But, we don't want them to be on the same level as us, if we're being honest."

"She's right. We're the chiefs for a reason and, while we have no problems with the lieutenants, it's not like we want them to show us up," Sean explained.

Logan glanced at them from his chair, "Even if that's the case, I'm pretty sure we'll have a new chief soon too,"

"And this," Masters' voice traveled into the room as he and Nat walked in. "Is the chief base. I know you've been around here before, but I didn't know if you had seen it before, and since you're working with one of the lieutenants, I figured it was only fair that you meet the chiefs as well,"

Nat looked around, before looking to the chiefs, "Hi." She smiled, a bit shyly.

Masters smiled as well, "Chiefs, this is paramedic Natasha Porter. Nat, you know of Sean and Taz, correct?" Nat nodded. "And this is yellow ranger and fireman Joseph Dixon. He's a bit newer than them."

"It's nice to meet you," Nat stepped forward to shake his hand.

Joey shook her hand, smiling boldly. "You too. You can call me Joey, by the way." He looked her over, and chuckled a bit when he noticed her do the same to him. "See something you like?"

She blushed at being caught. "Do you?" She shot back, smirking nonchalantly.

At this small flirtation, Sean wrapped his arm around Taz, both with knowing looks on their faces, Sera and Logan exchanged glances, and Masters rolled his eyes. "Alright, you two can calm down, especially considering that Nat is going to be working with us for a while, just to see how she fits."

"Really?" Nat nearly exclaimed. "No way! That's everything I've wanted since I got here!"

Masters cleared his throat, and she calmed herself a bit. "It'll just be as a part time intern, until we can figure out what works for you."

"Okay, that's fine." Nat nodded excitedly. "I'd do anything to work with you guys. This is amazing!"

"I'm glad you see it that way, Nat," Masters clapped her on the shoulder, before looking at Sera pointedly. "Can you give her something to do to get her started?"

Sera stood immediately. "Of course. Come on, I'll show you the ropes." Sera gestured for her to follow, and Nat did so happily.

The chiefs watched Masters nod to himself a bit at Nat's presence, before exiting the room and leaving them to themselves.

\- PRER -

Owen and Nikki were walking alone together, having split up with Moran and Jason to cover more ground. When the idea was suggested, Jason looked a bit chagrined at not being able to go with Nikki, but didn't put up a fight against it when she insisted on going with Owen.

She looked slightly lost in thought, and Owen was about to say something about it, until she spoke up before him, "Why do you think Jason wanted to go with me?"

"What?" Owen looked to her as they walked through the airport slowly.

"Well, he didn't _say_ anything, but I could feel that he was kinda upset that I wanted to go with you," Nikki explained. "I could tell, with my empathy. I mean, I feel a little bad for reading his emotions without his permission, but I just needed to know."

He looked away, thinking of how to respond. "Well, I mean, maybe he's.. into you. You didn't hear it from me, though."

Nikki nodded, "I figured."

"Really?" Owen raised an eyebrow in surprise. "How?"

"He's not the best at hiding it, you know." Nikki pointed out. "I don't know why he likes me so much, anyways. Most people, especially quiet ones like Jason, think I'm annoying or too much. That's actually a reason I'm different around the chiefs."

"What do you mean?" Owen asked.

She shrugged, "Well, I've known them since I started working here, and Tori, Sean, and Taz all thought I was the most obnoxious person they've ever met. I know I shouldn't care what they think, but ever since I found that out, I toned it down around them. With you guys, it's different - Autumn's upbeat too, Jason loves everybody, and you.. I don't know, you've just always accepted me as is, without question. I appreciate that, a lot."

Owen took in a deep breath, "I know what it's like to care a lot about what others think, and I was so hung up on it that I would act different for anyone. Then, I realized that was stupid and I started being my true self, and I made sure I would never make anyone else feel the way I felt. It's important to me that the people around me know that I care."

"You are something else, you know that?" Nikki said, adoringly. "I mean it. Ever since I met you, you've always been very genuine and.. sweet. You care so much about others, and I love that about you."

He chuckled, "You mean underneath all of my immature, sarcastic banter and irresponsibility?" He joked.

Nikki nudged him playfully. "What about mine?" She laughed. "I'm the same way, if you were unaware."

"I don't know," Owen looked at her, a tone of admiration in his voice. "I think you're great just the way you are, and that's not just because I try to accept everyone. I mean, I do do that, but that doesn't necessarily mean I like everyone I meet, it just means I take them for who they are."

She looked down, blushing lightly. "And what do you take me as?"

"Amazing." Owen told her, candidly. "Beautiful, inside and out." When she looked to the side, he pursed his lips and shook his head. "I'm sorry, that's probably crossing the line."

"No, it's fine." Nikki turned back to him, her face full of emotion. "I always get afraid when people are so open like that with me because I worry that they might be lying, but I can read your emotions, and you're telling the truth." She nearly choked up. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything." Owen assured her. "All I want is for you to know how amazing you are. As long as that's there, I don't need anything else."

Nikki grabbed him suddenly and put her hands on his face, staring at him for a moment before kissing him passionately, her arms wrapping around the back of his neck. Because of the height difference, Owen had to bend down slightly, but he didn't complain as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

Meanwhile, Jason and Moran were walking around the airport in mostly silence. There were a few words spoken between them here and there but nothing much or of particular importance. This was likely due to Jason's shy and awkward personality, and Moran's quiet one. Besides that, they also hadn't seen anything they thought was suspicious yet.

Katie didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary either, and was happily trotting along side them, though she knew she was on duty in case of anything. The German Sheppard could always tell she was on duty by Moran's attitude and the things they were doing.

Jason stopped suddenly when he saw something up ahead, making Moran and Katie do the same, looking around to see what he saw. After a few moments, Moran cleared her throat softly. "Umm.. do you see Harold?"

"Actually, I see something else." Jason responded, feeling deflated. "Something I didn't need to see."

Moran frowned, following his line of vision until she saw Owen and Nikki up ahead, kissing deeply. She raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling she was intruding, but didn't say so to Jason, who watched as they pulled apart. "Is she your girlfriend?" Moran asked after a few moments.

He shook his head. "No, but you don't know how many times I wished she was. Nikki have been friends for a long time, but I've always thought more of her... She's never thought the same." Jason looked down, guiltily. "I shouldn't feel upset like this, but I do. At least she doesn't know that I like her."

"Yeah, that would be hard to swallow." Moran agreed. She watched Jason act like he didn't notice, in case the two saw them, just as Katie perked up. Moran looked down at her, _Is something wrong?_

 _He's here,_ Katie reported back, tugging on the leash.

Moran tapped Jason on the shoulder. "Katie's got something,"

"What?" Jason frowned, forgetting the case for a moment. "Oh shit! Okay, take this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a morpher exactly like his. She stared at it, and he elaborated. "Lia wanted you to have this. Come on, you didn't think we recruited you for nothing, did you?"

She hesitantly reached out and touched it, before putting it on her wrist. Almost immediately, it locked around her wrist and flashed purple for a moment, signalling that it was finally on. Moran felt a strange energy wash over her, but barely had enough time to register it as Jason was already gesturing her to follow along.

They met up with Nikki and Owen, and they all followed in the direction Katie was pulling them in. They were taken out a side door and brought out onto the air field, where they saw Harold walking with two body guards towards a private jet.

"Let's morph," Jason told them, making them nod. "Ready?"

"Ready," They responded, Moran having to let go of Katie's leash to be able to morph.

"Emergency Responders, Get Into Action!"

"Blue Lieutenant Ranger!"

"Yellow Lieutenant Ranger!"

"Green Lieutenant Ranger!"

Moran followed their lead, calling out, "Purple Lieutenant Ranger!" She morphed into a suit that was identical to Autumn and Nikki's suits, except it was purple in color. Looking down at herself, Moran smiled in awe.

She kneeled down to Katie, holding her back by her harness, _Hey, you can't come into the field with us, okay?_

 _I will if you need help,_ Katie replied back. _But I'll stay here for now._

The purple ranger sighed, before eventually nodding and standing back up to pull out her blaster with the other rangers. Jason gestured for them to be quiet for a few moments, before nodding.

They all rushed onto the scene, quickly surrounding the three men and pointing their blasters at them.

"Waverly Emergency Responders!" Jason announced to them. "Stop right there!"

Nikki stepped forward slightly. "Drop the bags, now!"

Harold chuckled faintly. "Do you kids know how many times I've been almost arrested, and gotten off Scot-free? Nice try, though."

"This is your final warning." Owen growled out. "Drop the bags!"

The criminal smirked. "And if I don't? You'll shoot me with those little toys, huh?" He shook his head. "I'd like to see you try."

Suddenly, before any of the rangers could do anything, he put his arms out to the side and a large blast suddenly overtook the area, knocking everyone, including his body guards, to the ground.

Owen and Jason were quick to regain their footing and pin the body guards down, cuffing them before they could get back up and defend Harold.

Nikki was next to get up and she took out her nightstick, and used it to attempt to knock the man down. Harold growled low in his throat and put an arm up, making a forcefield pop up to block her attack.

She grimaced in frustration and continued to hit the forcefield as hard as she could with the nightstick, hoping it would eventually break it down. Harold, however, was very strong and had been practicing with his powers for years, so this didn't seem like much of a bother to him outside of some pressure every time she hit it.

Moran also got up quickly and pulled out a blaster, standing behind him as Nikki continued to try to break down the energy barrier. He wasn't paying attention to Moran, however, and only had the forcefield up around his front.

Taking a chance, Moran shot the blaster at his back. Not expecting it, Harold fell forward, his forcefield shattering just as Nikki got ready to take another blow. When she saw him fall, she stopped herself before the weapon came down again and watched as Moran ran forward, pulling her handcuffs out and holding him down while she made sure they were tight on his wrist.

He struggled against the bonds, but was unable to get out. Harold watched as Nikki opened his suitcase, finding the bags of drugs that he was taking out of the country. She turned back to him, nodding to herself. "Yeah, you're going away for a while, Harold."

"You're under arrest for drug possession and smuggling," Moran told him as she hauled him to his feet. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used..."

"I already know them all, Officer," Harold sneered. "Just take me to jail, don't subject me to torture."

Moran rolled her eyes and began walking him back to the police cars with the others.

\- PRER -

Autumn and Tori sat at the kitchen table in Tori's apartment, eating the breakfast Autumn had made in mostly silence. Autumn was keeping her head down as she ate, avoiding eye contact with Tori, while the red chief was carefully watching her.

After a few more painful moments of silence, Tori loudly put her fork down against her plate. The loud _CLANK_ that resulted made Autumn jump, having been quiet the whole time.

She looked up hesitantly, looking absolutely sorrowful when her gaze finally reached Tori's. "Did you drop your...?"

"No." Tori interrupted, in a no-nonsense tone. "What is wrong with you?"

"What do you mean?" Autumn looked away, embarrassed.

Tori scoffed. "You've been quiet and miserable since what happened," She said, leaving no room for argument. "You look like I kicked your puppy. What's going on? And I want to know, now."

"I've just... I've never been through something like that before, okay? It's hard to adjust." Autumn said, forlorn. "Do you.. remember what happened?"

"You mean something specifically?" Tori asked, her expression hardening.

Autumn nodded. "We talked about something really important to me - to us, I hope. I don't know if you remember, you lost a lot of blood."

"Yeah, I did, didn't I?" She agreed. "I really don't remember anything."

"You..." Autumn trailed off, looking even more devastated than before. "You don't? Do you want me to tell you?"

"No, I really don't." Tori said quickly. "Can we talk about something else?"

The red lieutenant shook her head, standing up from breakfast and moving away from the table to grab her bag off of the floor nearby. "Actually, I think I should leave. I don't feel very well."

Tori opened her mouth to say something when Autumn walked towards the door and opened it, seeming almost frantic to get out of there. When she opened it, they were both surprised to see Sean standing at the door, looking awkwardly between the two.

"Hey, Autumn," Sean greeted. She nodded shortly at him, before slipping by without another word. Sean looked to Tori with a raised eyebrow as he shut the door behind him. "So, you don't remember anything, huh?"

She glared up at him. "You were eavesdropping?"

Sean shrugged. "Not on purpose. I was about to knock when I heard you guys talking from inside." He walked over to the table and pulled out a chair. "So you really don't remember?"

"Isn't that a good thing?" Tori crossed her arms, defensively.

"It would be," Sean nodded. "If you were telling the truth."

Tori rolled her eyes. "So what, you're the mind reader now?" She shot back. "What makes you think I'm lying?"

"Because I know you." Sean replied, simply. "As much as you may deny it, I do. Specifically, I know that you don't like opening up and getting close to people, which is probably why you lied. You did something or said something important that you freaks you out, and you don't want to admit it."

She looked away. "What do you know?" Tori said, still a sliver of defiance in her tone.

He gave her a pointed look. "Enough." Sean responded. "So, do you actually remember?"

"I..." Tori paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Yes. I remember everything."

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Emergency Responders:** Taz worries about taking a physical test like the rest of the chiefs, while Sean worries about her health.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Nutrition

 **Like I said, their relationship is very complicated and isn't coming together just yet. I thought about having them get together in this chapter, but then I decided against it since Tori is more of the stoic and tough type, and wouldn't just open up to Autumn like that. Besides that, Autumn is going to have some deep struggles with a bit of PTSD from the kidnapping, and I didn't think a relationship would be right for her at the time. Nevertheless, this is not the end for them! Just wait on it - I promise it'll be great!**

 **Also, what did you guys think of Owen and Nikki? I know I've had them flirt a bit, but I really liked them together! Jason will have his time to shine, don't worry, just with another character. Let me know what you thought of Moran too!**

 **So, because of all the issues that have occurred since around the 4th of July, I have, unfortunately, had to readjust my August 4th plan. The 5th anniversary chapter WILL be going up, without fail, but I will not be able to finish PRGG like I wanted to and release my 10th series on that day. I believe I'll be able to finish PRRF and maybe release a chapter of my 9th, but I doubt I'll be able to get to my tenth by then.**

 **That being said, my 10th series, known as Power Rangers: Mythic Destinies (PRMD), will be released as soon as possible and for sure will be within the next couple of months. It will not be an OC contest (neither will my 9th), but I will have an OC contest for the SEQUEL to this series! Yes, PRER will have a sequel when it is finished, and I'll likely post that a few chapters before this is over! Hope you guys are excited!**

 **Anyways, sorry for the super long author's note! Here's the lineup for the next five chapters!**

 **Ep 16: Decision -** Jason focused chapter.

 **Ep 17: Pink Chief -** Nat focused chapter.

 **Ep 18: Animals -** Moran focused chapter.

 **Ep 19: Mood -** Sean focused chapter.

 **Ep 20: Rush -** Joey focused chapter.

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you guys back with the next one!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	16. Ep 15: Nutrition

**Hey guys, I'm back with another one! This one's mostly gonna be a filler for some character development for Taz, and may contain some triggering content (anorexia/self-harming behaviors/rape & sexual abuse), so consider that if it may affect you. Hope you guys like it, anyways!**

* * *

Taz sat alone in her room, listening to the bustling sounds of everyone else in the house. Her house wasn't exactly hectic, but everyone else seemed to be rather busy all the time, even if they didn't really have a reason to be.

If anything, Taz was the one who had the most reason to be busy, with a job like she had. That didn't appear to be the case, however, as her family were always on the move or doing something.

Meanwhile, she was sitting around, waiting for them to leave so she could do what she wanted to do.

She sighed to herself, briefly wondering when she was finally going to move out of her family home. Taz had done so when she was with Junior, moving in with him until he kidnapped Sean and her, and then moved back into her parent's house because she had nowhere else to go.

Sean had his own place, and the two were doing extremely well, but she didn't want to ask to move in so soon in their relationship. Not only that, but he always had his little sister coming over and Taz wasn't sure that he would want her there as well.

Then again, it's not like she had ever even _tried_ to ask, so she couldn't fault anyone else but herself for that.

Listening carefully to hear if anyone was still home, she heard the front door open and close. Smiling to herself, Taz stood and walked towards the door when a knock startled her. "Yeah?" She asked cautiously.

"Taz, honey?" Her mother's voice flooded in, making Taz long for a time when they were close - for a time before her step-father and step-brother. "Are you hungry? I'm about to leave, but I'll leave some breakfast on the table for you."

"Oh, okay," Taz replied back, through the door. "I'll get it sometime."

No response came, but she could hear her mother's footsteps dwindle away before the front door was used once more. Making sure it was silent, Taz opened her door and walked out into the main room, before walking into the kitchen.

The table had a place set nicely for her, with a full plate of food on it. Taz walked up to stand behind her chair, staring down at the food and feeling her stomach growl.

Her hunger, however, did not motivate her to eat, and it hadn't for a long time. She looked off at the wall nearby, staring at herself in the large mirror standing there. Taz turned to the side, lifting her shirt up slightly to see her stomach.

It was more than flat - she was so skinny that her stomach indented and her ribs showed. This wasn't obvious with her sweatshirts and baggy pants, but it would be if she was wearing anything less.

In fact, her body was another reason she didn't want to move in with Sean. They had yet to move their relationship onto a sexual level, with Taz telling him that she wasn't comfortable yet, but she never explained the reason why.

To Taz, her body didn't look as it truly did. It looked much bigger most of the time, and then sometimes she felt much too skinny. She had never felt really satisfied with it, and assumed no one else would either.

That was why she wasn't comfortable showing herself to Sean, no matter how much she trusted and loved him.

She let her shirt down and picked the plate and fork up, walking over to the trashcan and pushing the food off of her plate and into the can. Taz walked over to the sink to wash the dishes when she felt someone staring at her.

Turning around, she was startled to find her step-brother, Liam, standing there and smirking at her. "Taz," He greeted, looking her over.

"Hi, Liam," She smiled briefly at him, before turning back to the dishes in the hopes that he would leave her alone.

Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the case when she felt him move closer to her and put an unfamiliar hand on her shoulder, rubbing it over lightly. "So, how are you doing today?" Liam asked, acting as if nothing was wrong.

"Please don't touch me," Taz pleaded, putting her dishes to the side, but otherwise not moving. "It's wrong, Liam. I want you to stop."

"You don't get to tell me when to stop. I'm the man," Liam growled, his hand clasping her shoulder hard. "You remember that, don't you? Besides, we're not really siblings, right?"

Taz tried to move away from him, but he blocked her from doing so. "Yes, we are, and even if we weren't and it wasn't wrong, I wouldn't want it. Let me go. I have to get to work and they'll worry if I'm late."

"I don't know if I'll be able to wait until you get back," Liam forced her to turn around and face him. "Maybe you should give me something to wait for."

He leaned in to kiss her, but she shoved him off and ran outside of the house, glad she was fully dressed and ready to go so she didn't have to stay in the house. Taz knew that while she was outside, he would never follow her because he was afraid of others seeing him.

She turned back to the house and looked up at the window to see him staring out of it at her, his expression hard. Taz immediately turned away and began to walk towards her car, taking a deep breath as she prepared herself for the day ahead.

 **\- Cue Opening -**

By the time Taz got into work and made her way to the chief base, Masters was already there and addressing the other three rangers. Tori, who had recently been out of work with her injuries, had finally been allowed back at work and was listening very intently to Masters, ready to get back to her normal routine.

Sean and Joey were also listening, but were more prone to distraction, which is why only the two of them turned to look at her when she walked in late.

When they looked, however, this attracted the attention of Masters and Tori as well. She assumed it would've caught Sera, Nat, or Logan's eye too, but they weren't there, surprisingly enough.

"Taz," Masters addressed her, his tone stern. "You're late."

"I know, I'm sorry." She apologized. "I was caught up at home. It won't happen again."

Masters nodded. "No, it won't. I don't need any of the rest of you out of commission anytime soon." He said, looking at all of them. "Which is why I was about to tell you all that you're all taking a physical test today, like you did when you first started here. This test will let me know how healthy you are so I can keep you that way."

"Today?" Joey was the first to speak up, though none of the others looked very happy about it either. "Don't you have to give us a little warning first before you spring these things on us?"

He glared at the yellow ranger, making him cower a bit. "No, I do not have to give you a warning. You four should not have anytime to prepare for this, as I want your average, everyday health on display today. That's the point of this."

Tori shrugged, the only one not affected by the news. "I don't have a problem with it. I assume I'm up first, since I'm the leader?"

"Actually, we're going by last name, which means Sean is up first," Masters told her. "After our interns are done getting ready for us in the gym. Either way, you're not going to be tested today, Tori."

She was taken aback. "Why not? Am I not a member of this team? Not only that, but I'm the leader!"

"Yes, and you're also still recovering from a gunshot wound." Masters pointed out, much to her chagrin. "You may be allowed back at work, but that doesn't mean you're back up to par. I will conduct an individual test with you another day,"

"That's not..." She trailed off as Masters held a hand up, and resorted to standing there irritatedly while the others were escorted out of the room to wait for Sera and Logan.

 **\- Cue Opening -**

A bit later, Autumn sat alone at a table in the cafeteria, yawning idly as she poked at a salad she was eating slowly. She ate a small bite and looked around the room, bored and exhausted. She leaned her head on her hand and closed her eyes for a moment, nearly falling asleep when a noise startled her.

Looking up, she found Owen standing next to the table, before sitting across from her. "Morning, sleepyhead." He quipped.

"Why did you do that?" Autumn muttered, rolling her eyes.

"I figured you needed a wake up," Owen chuckled lightly. "Why were you falling asleep on your hand in the cafeteria?" He countered.

She shrugged. "I just haven't been getting any good sleep lately,"

Owen frowned in concern. "Is something going on?"

Autumn looked to the side, almost ashamed. "I've been having nightmares since the kidnapping. I can't sleep and it's hard to eat, and I can't even talk to Tori about it because she doesn't remember, not even the important stuff."

"Maybe you should talk to someone else about it," Owen suggested. "Like a therapist or something." He then gave her a strange look. "And what important stuff did she forget, exactly?"

"I..." Autumn sighed. "First, I don't need a therapist - I'll be fine with some time. Second... We kissed."

He gaped at her. "You kissed Tori? How did you ever manage that?"

"We have a connection." Autumn responded, grudgingly. "But now she'll never know that. It's not important." She shook her head, before looking back at him. "So, what's going on between you and Nikki?"

"Nice way to change the subject." Owen commented, "But, for your information, we're in a relationship. We haven't really come out and told everyone yet, so just keep it on the down low for now."

"Let me guess," Autumn gave him a pointed look. "Jason?"

The green lieutenant looked down. "Yeah. It's not that I'm worried about him doing anything," He assured her. "I just don't want him to get upset or jealous or anything. I wouldn't be mad if he did, but I don't want a problem."

"So, is she gonna tell him?" She asked.

"Yeah," Owen nodded. "They've always been closer so we figured it was better that way."

She opened her mouth to respond, when she saw Moran come into the room and go towards the food at the front. "That's Moran, right? The new lieutenant?"

"That's her." Owen confirmed. "You've been back for a few days; you have talked to her yet?"

Autumn ran a hand through her hair. "No, not yet. I've been busy getting back into it and talking with Lia about everything." When Moran turned around, Autumn waved her over. The purple lieutenant looked a bit hesitant, but did so anyways. "Hey, Moran," Autumn greeted.

Moran looked between her and Owen, before smiling shyly. "Hi. Do I know you?"

"No, not yet," Autumn chuckled. "I'm Autumn DeWitt, the red lieutenant. We haven't really been introduced, sorry about that."

"Oh, I didn't know that was you," Moran told her. "It's nice to meet you."

She smiled. "You too. You can sit with us if you want,"

"Okay," Moran responded after a moment, sitting down at the table with them.

\- PRER -

Meanwhile, Sean and Taz sat in the chief base, waiting for names to be called for their physical tests. Sean was sitting across a small table from her, eating carelessly, not seeming worried at all, while Taz was looking around anxiously.

After a few more moments of silence, Sean looked up from his food and took in the way she was acting. "What's going on, Taz?"

"What?" Taz turned to him quickly, as if he had frightened her. "Nothing. Why?"

Taking a bite of his sandwich, Sean resisted the urge to scoff at her. "I know something's going on. Is it something about the test? Or did something happen at home?"

She bit her lip. "No, I'm just nervous for the test. That's all," Taz tried to assure him.

He chuckled, "How could you be worried about that? You're gonna do great. You've been a ranger for a while, and you're in good health. Nothing should be too bad. It's just like the tests we took in the academy."

"I know," Taz shook her head, playing with the hem of her sweater. "I guess I just always get nervous before one of these things."

"Yeah, it'd be bad if they found something," Sean commented. "Like if there was something wrong we didn't know about. That wouldn't be good."

Taz raised an eyebrow, but ignored his comment. "I think it's just my nerves. I doubt they'd find something."

"Well, just consider yourself lucky that you get a normal test," Sean pointed out. "I have to take a special test so they can make sure I have a good mental state too, since I'm bipolar." He rolled his eyes. "I don't know why they worry so much. I've been doing better than I have in a long time."

"That's great," Taz smiled, grateful to have some good news. "I'm glad things are looking up."

Sean nodded. "Yep, me too," He looked up at her, almost guiltily. "So good, actually, that I might ask them about going off my meds for good, and just have regular therapy."

The green chief breathed out in shock. "Really? Are you sure that'd be good for you?"

"Don't know until I try," Sean said, rubbing a hand over his face. "Would you be alright with that?"

"Oh, I didn't realize you had to ask me," Taz commented, looking back as Joey made his way into the room, amplifying her nervousness.

"You're my girlfriend, so I figured I should ask you to make sure you're alright with it," He explained as Sera called to him. "Hey, just think about it, alright? I'll be back soon."

She watched him leave and sat back, sighing to herself as her heart pounded in her chest. Taz eyed Sean's leftover food, but instead of eating it, she picked it up and dropped it in a nearby trashcan before leaving to get some fresh air outside.

\- PRER -

After lunch, Nikki walked around ER, trying to locate Jason. She had checked around for him at lunch, but had been unable to find him, so she figured it would be easier to do now. She passed by the lieutenant base and made her way into the forensics lab, finding him typing away at his computer.

Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Nikki knocked lightly on the wall, attracting his attention.

"Hey," She greeted, walking into the room slowly.

"Hi," Jason replied, turning back to his work as she made her way towards him. "What's up?"

Nikki sat down in a chair next to him. "Can we talk?" She asked. "Or, is this a bad time?"

"I guess it's an okay time," Jason told her, nonchalantly, though he still wasn't looking at her.

"Well, I should just come out and say it," Nikki took another deep breath. "Owen and I are in a relationship, and have been for about a week so far."

He shrugged. "Why is that a big deal?"

She rubbed her arm nervously. "You don't care?"

"It's not a big deal." Jason said. "Owen's a good guy, and you guys are dating. People start dating all the time."

"That's a relief," Nikki chuckled, "I thought you would be upset."

Jason raised an eyebrow, finally stopping his work and turning to her. "Why would you assume that?"

"I suppose I just know that I'd be kinda upset if someone I liked started dating someone else," Nikki explained, relaxing in her chair. "I'm glad you're taking this well, cause I wouldn't want anything to ruin our friendship."

"Wait a minute," Jason held a hand up, anger rising up in him slightly. "You know that I like you? And you didn't say anything before now?"

"Yeah, that probably would've been better," She sighed. "I'm sorry, Jason. I didn't know what to say about it, and since you never acted on it, I figured it wasn't something I should just bring up one day."

The blue lieutenant shook his head. "So you let me wait around with hope that something might go somewhere one day? It's one thing to not know and start dating someone without saying something first - I can't fault you for that, but this? You knew and still let it continue until you just started with someone else."

"You act like I was leading you on," Nikki frowned. "I have always tried to make it clear that I was just your friend, besides just outright saying it."

"It's not fair," Jason rolled his eyes. "You were leading me on. The fact that you never said anything makes me think you don't know so I still have that chance."

Nikki scowled. "Don't act like I'm your property, Jason. I'm sorry that I never told you I wasn't interested, but you have no right to be so upset like you have the right to claim me or something."

"I've never thought that," Jason responded, matter-of-factly. "But I do think you should leave. Right now."

"This isn't..." Nikki trailed off, before putting her hands up in surrender and leaving, holding back tears as she did so.

\- PRER -

While Taz was taking her physical test, Sean was walking around the chief base aimlessly. He looked over at Joey and Nat talking across the room, seeming to be deep into conversation and even flirting every so often. He turned to Tori, who was sitting at the small table, looking irritated. He walked over to her and sat down.

"It's not that big of a deal, you know," He commented. "Masters only doesn't want you to take the test yet because he wants you to be at your usual when you take it."

"Yeah, I know," Tori muttered, leaning her head on her hand. "It's not important."

Sean studied her facial expression, before saying, "Thinking about Autumn, maybe?"

"That's also not important, and none your business regardless." Tori said, shortly.

"So, I'll take that as a yes," Sean gave her a pointed look. "There's no shame in that. You feel guilty for lying and even worse about yourself for pushing away the one person you got really close to. I understand."

She snorted. "Do you? Somehow I feel like you've never been in this position. Besides, it's already over, so it doesn't even matter."

"It doesn't have to be over, though. Just tell Autumn you know and how you feel. She'll understand." Sean suggested.

"You think she'll understand that I lied to her at a time like that?" Tori questioned. "Because I don't think so. If someone did that to me, I'd never forgive them."

"Autumn isn't you," Sean pointed out. "No offense, but you're very closed off. Autumn isn't like that; she's friendly and very open with everyone, so I doubt that she'd react like that unless there was something else going on."

Tori shook her head. "You don't know that. You should've seen the look on her face when I lied to her. She looked like a kicked puppy."

He raised an eyebrow for a moment. "Well, do you think she knows you lied?"

"No," Tori responded. "But I'm pretty sure she's upset about it, despite that. She's probably worried that everything that happened doesn't mean anything."

"Does it mean anything? To you, I mean," Sean asked.

The red chief looked to the side, sighing to herself. "I don't know.. yes? It's complicated. I can't just come out and say it does because I was in shock when it happened. I have no idea if the way I felt then was real, mostly because it's so hard for me to determine how I feel around her normally."

Sean shrugged, "Maybe you should..." He trailed off when Logan ran into the room, frantically. "Is everything okay?" He asked, standing.

Logan shook his head. "Taz collapsed. We're calling an ambulance."

"What?!" Everyone was shocked, and made their way towards the other room without hesitation.

\- PRER -

Taz groaned a bit as she came to, feeling a soft bed beneath her. She fisted the blankets in her hands and rolled her head to the side, opening her eyes slowly. To her surprise, she found herself in a hospital room, with Sean sitting worriedly beside her. "What happened?" She mumbled, looking to him.

"Taz? Oh, thank god," He stood quickly and kissed her forehead, before sitting on the bed beside her with her hand in his. "You collapsed during your physical test at work."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

Sean nodded, before looking at her seriously. "Yeah, from poor nutrition. The doctor said it was serious," He looked down at her body, seeing how big the hospital gown was on it, before carefully asking, "Have you stopped eating?"

"No, I..." Taz was about to make an excuse, but stopped herself when she saw how worried he was. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Don't be," He moved forward to wipe a tear that fell down her face. "Just tell me what's going on."

"When I was little and my dad died, I kinda didn't know how to deal," Taz started. "I started binge-eating and, by the time my mom remarried, I had gained a lot of weight. My step-brother would tease me about it, but he liked it too, in an unnatural way. He..." She took a deep breath and told him, "He assaulted me,"

He clenched his fists. "I'll kill him."

She ignored his comment. "He would always tell me how I should never get pretty so he could be the only one that had me. I stopped eating because I was afraid that he wouldn't stop. I got skinny, and I liked the way I looked, so I've been keeping it up for a while." Taz bit her lip. "He still won't stop, though. I just hate being near him."

"You need to press charges against him," Sean said, angrily. "We need to throw this scumbag into jail,"

"Sean, no," Taz squeezed his hand to calm him. "I just need to get out of there. I don't need to bring everybody into this. Once I get my own place, it'll be okay. He won't come by there."

The blue chief sighed and shook his head, "No, I don't want you to have to be alone if he's out there, and while you need someone. I know this is sudden, but I want you to move in with me. I'll be there for you, whatever you need, and I'll never make you leave."

"Really?" She stared at him in shock. "You'd let me move in?"

"Of course, as long as we start getting you healthy again," Sean responded. "If you promise that, I would want nothing more than to have you stay with me."

Taz leaned forward and hugged him tightly, tears coming to her eyes. "Thank you," She whispered. "I love you."

"I love you too," He said as he held her.

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Emergency Responders:** Jason must decide how he feels towards Nikki now that she's in a relationship, and wonders if they will remain friends.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Decision

 **This chapter dealt with some serious stuff, but keep in mind that this story does deal with that kind of content (being similar to a cop-show), so you should expect more things like that to pop up. I'll always warn you in the beginning though, just in case you wouldn't like a particular subject.**

 **Also, in terms of the Jason/Nikki/Owen situation, it will be resolved in the next chapter. Jason seems a bit out of character, but I figured that he would be upset when he found out that she knew and never said anything to let him move on from pining over her. I should mention that he doesn't think she's his to claim, but he does feel betrayed by her.**

 **I have a poll up for your favorite Chief ranger, if you're interested, and I should say that Nat is in it. She's coming in as the pink chief in the chapter after the next one, but I don't have much time to leave the poll up since my 5th anniversary is two days away, so I've put it up early since I've already introduced her and had her in for a while! I can't wait to see who you guys choose!**

 **Here's the lineup for the next five chapters!**

 **Ep 17: Pink Chief -** Nat focused chapter.

 **Ep 18: Animals -** Moran focused chapter.

 **Ep 19: Mood -** Sean focused chapter.

 **Ep 20: Rush -** Joey focused chapter.

 **Ep 21: White Lieutenant -** Final new ranger!

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you guys back with the next one!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	17. Ep 16: Love

**Hey guys, here's the next one! Don't forget to vote on your favorite chief in my poll!**

* * *

 _\- Flashback -_

 _Two years ago, a 19 year old Jason was walking quietly through the halls of ER, looking for the 18 year old Nikki, who was supposed to meet him for lunch. The two had met a few months ago, both as new students at ER's training program, and had hit it off rather quickly._

 _Currently, he was still in training to become a full time forensic scientist, much to his parents' chagrin. Nikki was in training to become a detective and, despite their drastically different jobs, the two were very good friends._

 _Sadly, it was likely that they weren't going to be working together in the future, unless they were investigating a similar case. Given that there were so many people working there, however, it wasn't looking like that would be the case._

 _This made them hang out more often, which was definitely good for their friendship. Nikki assured him that, if they weren't working together, they would still spend time together when they were free. Jason agreed._

 _In this short amount of time, Jason had also developed a small crush on her._

 _Not that he had told her so. In fact, he was planning on telling her during lunch, so he was more than a bit antsy when she didn't show up. It was almost as if he was worried that she already knew and had left because of it._

 _But that was a long shot. It was more likely that she had gotten caught up with work or it just slipped her mind, which he wasn't too worried about. He was just making sure that she was okay, and would remind her if she forgot._

 _He passed by multiple people he knew in the halls, but not Nikki. When he got to her unit, he tried to ask around about her, but he was too shy to go up to one of the other recruits to ask about it._

 _Instead, he decided to look around by himself. That was when he saw an open door nearby, and looked in slightly. It was a janitorial closet, and Jason figured it was probably just left open on accident._

 _When he went to close it, though, he heard a sound from inside and opened it further, stepping in. To his surprise, he found Nikki inside, kissing another student deeply on the lips._

 _At the time, he only knew the student as Sophie, but nothing further than that. He gasped lightly, and made them aware of his presence. Sophie turned to him in surprise, looking between him and Nikki._

 _Nikki, herself, looked like a deer in the headlight. She whispered something to Sophie, who nodded at her and silently left the room, leaving only Jason and Nikki in the dark closet._

 _"I'm sorry," Jason said immediately. "I didn't know you were in here. I just came to see where you were because you were late for lunch."_

 _"It's alright, I'm glad it was just you," Nikki ran a hand through her hair. "You can't tell anyone what you saw in here today. We're best friends, and you're the only one I trust with this secret, okay? Do you promise?"_

 _Jason nodded, deciding against telling her how he felt. "Okay, I promise."_

 _\- End of Flashback -_

 **\- Cue Opening -**

Now, Jason sat stoically in the lieutenant base, staring over at Nikki and Owen, who were freely chatting and kissing without a care in the world. He felt almost the way he did when he saw her and Sophie kissing in private once, except he was angry this time.

It wasn't because Nikki was with someone - that was fine. As long as she was happy, he was happy and everything was all good. The problem was that he felt betrayed that she knew and never said anything sooner.

When he found her and Sophie, he had assumed that it would never work out between them because she was a lesbian, but when she had explained to him that she was actually bisexual, he felt a renewed sense of hope again.

The two never lasted long, but she and Sophie remained friends. It wasn't an issue between them since it was so short lived.

Ashamed to feel such a way, Jason had to admit that he felt even more hopeful when they broke up. He wanted to tell her right away, but decided against it because it was so fresh.

So many times Jason had thought about doing it, but he never followed through. He was either too shy or didn't think it was the proper time.

This moment, while he watched her and Owen, was also not the proper time. It wouldn't ever be, and Jason completely understood that. If she wasn't interested, then she wasn't interested and he had to move on.

That thought didn't stop the anger from feeling like he had been lead on. He knew that she didn't do it intentionally, and had never really flirted, but the hope that was alive only remained because it was never told to die.

Finally, it had been told that, and it had done so quickly. Jason had just wished it went out in a nicer way, but that wasn't the case and he had to deal with it.

An important thing to note for him was that he wasn't mad at Owen. Owen hadn't done anything wrong by falling for Nikki, and while Jason knew that he knew about his crush, he couldn't blame him for liking her. Not only that, but he didn't have to ask for his permission to date her.

Neither did Nikki, though it would've been nice for her to tell him ahead of time that he didn't have a chance.

A loud noise snapped him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see Lia standing in the middle of the room, with her hand smacked on the table. Everyone in the room turned to her, and she smiled at them.

"I have some good news," Lia announced. "I've gotten word from Masters, and you all should know that today you get a day off."

The rangers smiled back at her in relief, not having had a day off in the long while. "That sounds great," Autumn commented, yawning slightly.

Lia nodded, "It is great. You guys will be able to do whatever you want for the rest of the day, so you should get out of here and enjoy yourselves. You only get to be young once, remember that." She told them as she left them to themselves.

Almost immediately, Jason left the room, followed by a chagrined Owen and Nikki who walked the opposite way, and then Moran. Autumn was the only one who remained, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

Sophie looked up at her from her chair as she collected her things. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I just haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately," Autumn sighed. "But I'm getting back to normal."

"How long have you had trouble sleeping?" Sophie asked, concerned.

Autumn shrugged. "I don't know, I guess since Tori and I were kidnapped."

"Really?" Sophie frowned. "Autumn, you might have PTSD. You should talk to someone about it." At the look on Autumn's face, she continued. "Well, if you don't want to, you can at least talk to me if you need to."

The red lieutenant gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Sophie. I might take you up on that someday," She gestured towards the day. "I'm gonna get out of here and try to get some decent sleep."

"Good luck," Sophie encouraged, watching her leave before picking up her things and leaving as well.

\- PRER -

At the same time, Logan was walking through the hallway of ER, getting ready to leave, when he passed by the lieutenant forensics lab and saw the light on. He raised an eyebrow in curiosity and peered in through the open doorway, finding Jason in the room, working on the computer.

Surprised to find him there, Logan knocked once on the wall to announce his presence before walking towards Jason and standing close to him, putting his hand down in front of him as he leaned against the table.

"What are you still doing in here?" He asked. "It's our day off. You should be getting out of here, not getting ready to do work."

"I'm just trying to catch up on my workload." Jason explained, nonchalantly.

"Don't lie to me," Logan rolled his eyes. "You don't have anything to catch up on. You're just trying to use this as an excuse to escape from your problems in your work."

Jason looked up at him. "How do you know that?"

He shrugged, "I've heard that Owen and Nikki got together, and I knew you had a crush on her. I bet that probably made you upset."

The blue lieutenant sighed. "Who spreads these things?" Jason shook his head. "Nevermind. What are you still doing here?"

"I'm about to leave," Logan responded. "I was probably gonna go down to the pier and walk around."

"Sounds like a good time." Jason commented.

Logan looked him over. "Maybe if you're done with your imaginary work, you can come with me and hang out," He suggested. "If you're down, of course."

"Logan, I..."

"What?" Logan interrupted him. "Is your fake work that you're burying yourself in so important that you can't spend time with me?"

Leaning back in his chair, Jason rubbed a hand over his face. "What are you trying to do?"

"I don't know what you mean," Logan made a face. "But I do know that you need to get out, so I guess that's what I'm trying to do."

Jason was about to say something else, but Logan hauled him out of his chair and turned off his computer. "Hey!" He muttered, giving Logan a look. "You can't just do that."

A smirk appeared on Logan's face. "I just did. Now, are you gonna come with me, or am I gonna have to carry you?"

"This isn't fair," Jason reported, but allowed Logan to lead him out of the room anyways, turning off the light as he left.

\- PRER -

Over in the chief base, the other team of rangers were getting ready to leave. Taz was currently not there, but instead at home as she had been told to take a few personal days off by Masters after she collapsed from malnutrition.

Everyone else was there, including Sean, who was more than happy to get ready to leave early so he could help Taz finish moving into his apartment.

Just before he left, Tori caught his arm. "Hey,"

"Hey, what's up?" Sean asked, quickly.

She actually raised an eyebrow at how quick his response was, but said nothing on that subject. "So, how's Taz doing? I haven't been able to get over to your place, but I am concerned about her."

"She's doing great!" He nearly exclaimed. "I'm so proud of her progress. I cooked a meal yesterday and we both ate it together."

"Okay," Tori said slowly, giving him a strange look. "You two are gonna spend the day together, then?"

"Definitely! How could I ever leave someone like her alone?" He chuckled. "I'm gonna finish helping her move in and then I'm gonna take her to get some new things for the apartment and anything else she wants."

Tori frowned. "Do either of you have the money for that?"

Sean shrugged. "Who cares? That's the beauty of life, Tori, you only live it once so you better do it to the fullest, right?"

"Is something going on?" Tori asked, making a face at him. "Like, are you feeling okay?"

He looked offended. "No, why? I feel fantastic - I feel better than I have in a long, long time."

"Have you taken your meds?" She questioned.

"I don't think that's any of your business," Sean retorted. "God, I can't feel good for one day before people start acting like I'm a psych-case."

"You know I didn't mean it like that..."

The blue chief cut her off. "It doesn't matter. I'm gonna go, and you can keep doing whatever you want," He glared at her, before storming out of the chief base.

Meanwhile, across the room, Joey leaned against the console in the middle of the room as he watched Nat pick up her stuff and get ready to leave. He had a flirtatious grin plastered on his face when she turned around.

It elicited a few laughs from her, "What are you looking at with that kind of a smile?"

"Probably the new girl," Joey teased, his grin only growing. "The one I was thinking of asking to hang out today, if she wanted."

"You're such a flirt, you know that?" Nat nudged him, grinning back.

Joey brought a hand to his chest in mock offense. "I am not a flirt, Natasha. I am simply a man who doesn't believe in waiting for things to happen. I take risks and make things happen."

"Oh really?" Nat put her hands on her hips, playfully.

He nodded. "Of course. You can't spend time thinking about things and never doing them because it won't happen. You have to live while you can and make an adventure happen."

Nat looked at him, impressed. "That's actually quite a philosophy," She complimented him. "Most guys who move that quick have a much different philosophy, if you're telling the truth, that is."

"You don't believe me?" Joey crossed his arms.

"I don't know," Nat shrugged. "Some guys'll say anything to get a girl,"

"That's a harsh assumption," Joey chuckled. "And I'm a little offended. Maybe you should let me take you out to lunch, and I can prove you wrong."

She looked him over, shaking her head in amusement. "Alright, I'll go out to lunch with you, as a friend, and we'll see where this goes." Nat held up a hand before he said anything more. "But, I can only go with you if we take my sister, Lindsay, with us. My roommate's out of town and I don't want to leave her home alone all day."

"Perfectly fine with me." Joey assured her. "Lead the way,"

"Okay, then," Nat nodded, pleasantly surprised by his attitude towards her request. She gestured ahead of her. "Let's go."

\- PRER -

On the pier, Jason and Logan were walking around aimlessly, looking out towards the open water behind all of the shops and such. Jason took a deep breath, feeling peaceful with the sounds of small talk and waves crashing nearby.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Logan asked, noticing him lost in thought.

He shrugged. "Just thinking about everything, I guess. This kind of place really makes me lost in all of the peaceful sounds and stuff. It's nice here."

"It really is," Logan agreed. "Places like this are underrated nowadays. I mean, I know we're still young too, but other people our age don't really like to experience this side of life anymore. I think back on the way it probably was for my parents, and I can see how much everything has changed. It's crazy."

"I couldn't agree more," Jason nodded. "People get so absorbed in things that mean so little that they can't look at all of the other things that mean so much. You know, like moments you'll remember forever."

"Yeah, I remember one of the best moments of my life was going to this pier for my parent's anniversary and seeing just how in love they've always been," Logan told him. "It was beautiful. I hope I have something like that one day with my boyfriend."

Jason raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh, you have a boyfriend?"

"What? No, not right now," Logan chuckled. "I just mean in the future, when I have one." He smirked a bit. "Why does that matter?"

The blue lieutenant bushed in embarrassment. "No reason, I guess I was just surprised."

Logan gave him an amused look. "Surprised that I'm gay?"

"No, of course not," Jason said quickly. "I'm bisexual, so it's not like that."

"Don't worry, I was just teasing you a little," Logan nudged him. "And, I already knew that, by the way. I know you like Nikki, but I've seen the way you look at some of these guys. I'm not blind,"

At the mention of Nikki, Jason sighed. "We shouldn't be talking about Nikki right now."

That made Logan sigh as well. "Why not? She's your friend, Jason. One little thing shouldn't screw up a friendship like that."

"I just don't understand why she let me pine on her like that," Jason said. "I've wasted so much time on it when I could've been getting close to someone else."

"Okay, I'm gonna tell you something," Logan stopped and turned to him. "It's not her fault that you've spent so much time on it. When you kept hoping and she never came for you, you should've known it wasn't anything else. You can't blame her for the time you lost over her, because that's all on you, even if she's who fueled it. You are the only one who can move on, and now that you know, it's time to do it."

Jason stared at him. "But I..."

"No, don't argue." Logan interrupted. "Besides, why are you only mad at her? Owen knows you like her and still went for it. The way that you're acting is naive, because if you knew anything about these things, you wouldn't be acting this way..." He trailed off, before speaking again. "Especially when someone right in front of you actually likes you back."

"Who?" Jason asked.

"You really are naive," Logan leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips, before pulling away and leaving Jason in shock. "Now, are we gonna finish our trip out here so you can go talk to them, or are we gonna stand here all day?"

Suddenly, Jason broke out of his shocked staring. "We're gonna finish after I do this," He pulled Logan in for a more passionate kiss, one they both participated in this time. They pulled away, breathing heavily. "Okay, we can finish now."

"Alright," Logan smiled, taking him further down the pier.

\- PRER -

In the meantime, Masters was in his office next to the chief base, looking through some paperwork. He glanced over at the pink chief morpher, which was laying in a protective case on a nearby table. He wondered if Nat would be strong enough to use it, but nodded to himself that she would.

Next to it sat a picture of himself with his wife, just after she had gotten pregnant. The two looked incredibly happy, with Masters leaning down to kiss her growing abdomen in the photo.

Looking at it, he stood up and walked over to pick it up, touching it lightly. A few years prior to him becoming the chief mentor, his wife had been brutally murdered a few weeks before she was set to give birth, killing her and their unborn child.

When he found out, it felt like his life had ended. He had no idea how to move on from such a crushing blow, especially when the person behind it had never been caught.

After more than a few months of search for the assailant, the department eventually gave up and let the case go cold. That made him furious, feeling like his wife and son would never get the justice they deserved.

It made him want to go out and find the person who did it so he could kill him or her by himself. He knew that he really couldn't, but he wanted to badly. Every time he looked at a picture of his beautiful wife, all he could think of was how much she had suffered, only for no one to find out and punish who did it.

At the same time, he tried to think of all of the great things they had been through together. They were high school sweethearts who made it through and got married shortly after they graduated.

Most people would likely regret doing so, but they never had. They spent a few years traveling and living freely, before settling down in Waverly to live the rest of their lives in the house of their dreams.

They had always talked about how they were the perfect couple, and to this day, Masters still believed it. He was thinking about how he would never think any different, when the door opened behind him, pulling him out of his thoughts. He put the photo down as Lia walked in, closing the door behind her. "Bad time?" She asked.

"Of course not," Masters shook his head, moving to sit back down in his seat. "Is something going on?"

Lia sat in a chair across from him. "No, I just wanted to see if we were ready for the next member of your team."

Masters nodded. "I believe we are."

"And, if you are," Lia drawled. "Maybe we should talk about who's next for my team. I"m not gonna bring another member in right away, but I don't even have an idea of who that would be."

He raised an eyebrow. "It seems like there's a bit of a rush going on. Is this your version of a competition?"

"No, it's my version of doing my job," Lia retorted, displeased. "Besides, I'm already working on the white ranger morpher, but there's no point if I don't have a recruit to go with it."

"It's not that hard," Masters shrugged. "There are plenty of good recruits around."

"There are always plenty of _good_ ones, but I don't just want a good one. I want a great one," Lia told him. "Just think about it, alright? It's important to me," She requested as she got up from the chair and stood up straight. "I'm looking forward to seeing how Nat does as a ranger."

Her comment made him nod. "As am I. I think she'll be a great match," He responded, giving her an indecipherable look.

She stared back at him, before nodding back at him and exiting the room, leaving him back to his thoughts.

\- PRER -

Later on, Jason was dropped off at Nikki's apartment by Logan, who told him he would wait outside for him. Jason thanked him and went inside the building, taking the elevator up to her floor until he made it to her room. He stood outside her door for a few moments, before knocking lightly.

Within a few second, Nikki came to the door, surprised when she saw him, "Jason." She raised her eyebrows. "What are you doing here?"

"Are you and Owen here?" He asked. "I have to talk to you guys."

"Yeah, okay. Come in," Nikki invited him inside, only for him to find Owen sitting on the couch. He thought he might be a bit jealous seeing them together more, but found that he now wasn't at all. "What's up?"

Jason sighed. "I have to apologize to you for the way I've acted."

"Oh, it's alright," Nikki waved him off. "You were right, I should've told you first."

"Me too," Owen spoke up. "I knew you had a thing for her, and I should've said something."

"No, don't make excuses for me." Jason told them. "You guys didn't do anything wrong. I've been naive, acting like you guys have to tell me before you get together because I think you've just made me waste so much time, but I was the only one doing that. Logan made me see that today."

Owen and Nikki exchanged looks, before smiling at him. "Well, we're not upset, Jason." Nikki assured him.

"Yeah, especially if you can come all the way here to apologize," Owen agreed. "It shows that you care, since you did it even when we didn't need it."

"That's great," Jason said, relieved. "I was worried that I messed up our friendship over something so little."

Nikki came over to him, pulling him in for a hug. "You're my best friend. That would never happen, I promise."

He hugged her back, thinking to a time they spoke similarly. "Yeah, I feel the same."

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Emergency Responders:** After Joey is badly injured, Nat takes on the role of the pink chief to help the rest of the chiefs take down a criminal.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Pink Chief

 **So, I decided to change the name of this chapter to Love at the last minute because it made more sense, given that this chapter was bringing characters like Joey and Nat and Jason and Logan together. I will confirm that Jason and Logan are together, but Nat and Joey are not yet. This was just the first step to their budding chemistry with each other.**

 **Don't forget to vote on your favorite chief! I'm excited to see who you choose!**

 **Here's the lineup for the next five chapters!**

 **Ep 18: Animals -** Moran focused chapter.

 **Ep 19: Mood -** Sean focused chapter.

 **Ep 20: Rush -** Joey focused chapter.

 **Ep 21: White Lieutenant -** Final new ranger!

 **Ep 22: Brothers -** White Lieutenant and Joey focused chapter.

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you guys back with the next one!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	18. Ep 17: Pink Chief

**Here's the chapter where Nat finally becomes a chief ranger! Don't forget to vote on that poll - it'll only be up for a short time! Anyways, hope you guys like this one!**

 **Also, the new cover photo and video are up if you want to check those out!**

 **Tony is portrayed by Logan Lerman**

* * *

Joey was outside of the firemen's garage at ER, using the hose from the firetruck to clean off the outside of the building. He did this every so often, just to make sure they maintained a clean work environment, and to give the janitors a break. He knew how big ER was, and definitely wouldn't want to be one of them cleaning up after everyone.

So, instead of leaving them to clean up his mess, he did so whenever he had free time, which he did currently after writing up some reports for Masters early.

Another firefighter, Linda, came out to see what he was doing. "Look good, Joey." She complimented him.

"Thanks, Linda," He nodded, smiling.

She was about to go back inside when she saw something above. "Hey, what's that on the roof?"

He looked up to see what she was talking about and frowned. "I don't know," Joey pointed the hose at it and tried to spray it down, but it only went further up. He sighed to himself, and turned back to Linda. "Can you get me the ladder?"

"Sure," She nodded, walking back inside while he moved back a bit to see if he could locate where the object was. "Here you go," She came back out, carrying the ladder.

The two set it up against the wall, her holding it steady while he climb up. Joey made his way to the top of the building and grabbed the rim to pull himself up fully. Once he was up there, he looked around for the object.

To his surprise, he found nothing up there. He walked around a bit, trying to remain careful are he scoured the area for anything up there. As he continued to work, he felt a strong breeze start to blow on him.

Ignoring it, Joey continued to look, but was startled when he looked over and saw a man standing a few yards away from him with the mysterious object in hand, which seemed to just be a regular Frisbee.

"Who are you?" Joey asked, getting a bit defensive. When the man didn't answer, Joey continued. "This is a government building, you have to leave." Wind was whipping around him even faster now, hard enough that Joey felt it start to push him back. "Who are you?" He demanded.

"Goodbye, chief," Was all the man said as the wind got extremely hard, shoving Joey back and off of the roof, sending him straight for the ground. The man smiled in satisfaction and jumped off of the other side of the roof, disappearing into an alley nearby.

On the ground, Linda was screaming for help as Joey lay on the ground, staring up in a daze. Everything he heard was muffled by the intense pain radiating from his body, specifically around his hip area.

Before he knew what was happening, he saw Nat's face come into his line of view. She was calling to him and saying something, but Joey didn't understand what it was she was trying to get through to him.

Her hands moved to touch his hip, and the pain intensified immediately, making his vision go blurry. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was Nat's worried face, telling him something he couldn't comprehend.

 **\- Cue Opening 2 -**

Quite a while later, a nervous Nat was pacing around the waiting room in the hospital, waiting for news on Joey. The others were investigating what happened, so it left her to wait and find out how he was gonna be.

They had also called his mother, but Deborah was currently visiting a relative out of town and wasn't able to come back right away. That meant that Nat was the only one remaining to stay with him, and she was determined to do so.

A doctor came out from behind the doors. "Family for Joseph Dixon?"

"Yes," Nat stood, walking quickly over to him. "I'm here for Joey."

"Oh, are you his wife?" The doctor asked.

Nat bit her lip, "Not yet," She fibbed, plastering on a fake smile as she wanted to get the news. "How is he?"

"He's going to be alright," He responded. "He does have a fracture of the hip, however, which we were able to fix with surgery. The rest of his injuries are mostly superficial. He's a lucky young man; with a fall like that, most people are injured much worse."

"I agree." Nat nodded. "So, can I see him?"

"You may," The doctor told her. "He's been awake from surgery for about an hour, so he's mostly responsive and aware. He may still be slightly groggy, but it should wear off very soon."

She sighed in relief. "Thank you," Nat smiled gratefully, allowing a nurse to escort her to Joey's room.

When she made it in there, she found him laying in bed, with nothing more and an IV in his arm and some monitors hooked up to read his vitals. Besides that, and a few cuts and scrapes, he looked fine. Joey turned his head to look at her as she came in, "You stayed with me?"

"Yeah, but I had to tell the doctor we were engaged to do it," She quipped, walking over to sit in a chair beside his bed. "How are you feeling?"

Joey shrugged, tiredly. "I don't know, I can't feel anything in my leg. They told me they put something in it to numb me so I can't feel it for a while. I'm surprised it's just bandages and no cast, though."

"You won't want to," Nat assured him. "And that's pretty standard for a low-grade fracture in the hip or pelvic area. Most people don't get casts unless it's much more serious."

"Considering everything, I'm surprised it's not more serious," Joey muttered, leaning back in bed. "Did you catch that guy?"

"What guy?" Nat frowned.

He raised an eyebrow. "You didn't see the guy on the roof? He could manipulate the wind, and he pushed me off."

Nat stared at him in shock. "Really? No one else mentioned anything. What did he look like?"

"I don't remember," Joey admitted, nestling into his pillows exhaustedly. "Everything's pretty hazy."

"Alright, just rest." Nat laid a hand on his shoulder, rubbing his arm comfortingly as he fell back to sleep. "I'll figure who did it, I promise."

\- PRER -

Silas sat in his office, leaning back in his chair while he waited for his latest employee to come in and talk to him about how the work he's doing is going. In the meantime, he did have Belladonna to keep him company, which seemed to be a common thing lately.

It made him rather suspicious that she was always following him around, especially when he knew how she was. She was cunning in her work, and was always looking for the next bit of information that would help her become even more powerful.

That wasn't going to happen, though. Silas tried to always keep one step ahead of her, and was careful about what he said to the wrong people. He didn't think he would ever truly trust her with any serious information.

The only real person he trusted was Bones, but he was even careful with what he said to him, worried someone else would overhear their conversation. Not only that, but he didn't always want Bones to get involved in dangerous activities. That was his one weak spot, and a secret he would never let anyone know.

Beside him, he could feel Belladonna watching him with careful eyes, so he looked over to her. "What are you staring at?"

"I'm just wondering when we'll be done here," Belladonna shrugged, nonchalantly. "I don't have time to wait around all day for these things."

"If you would just be patient, it would get done a lot faster," Silas told her. "Besides, what do you have to do that's so important?"

"You don't tell me anything," Belladonna pointed out. "So why should I tell you?"

He chuckled. "Alright, but don't be surprised when I find out."

Belladonna opened her mouth to respond when the double doors opened and a criminal walked in, the one that had made Joey fall off of the roof. He was tall and lanky with dark skin and black hair.

"Colin," Silas greeted, "You made it, finally."

"Yeah, sorry I'm late, but I got caught up trying to get away from ER," Colin explained.

Silas nodded. "So, I take it you took down the chiefs, then?"

"One of them," Colin said. "The yellow ranger. I got him up to the roof and pushed him off once he saw me."

The crime lord gave him a look. "And what about the other ones?"

Colin rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I'll get them, I swear. Just give me a little time."

"No," Silas stood up, slamming his hand on his desk. "You go after them now, or I'll take you down instead of sending you to do it to them."

"O.. okay," Colin backed away slightly. "I'll do it. I can get them to come out and get them in the right position to take them down. Don't worry about it, I got it."

"You better, or else I'll kill you," Silas warned him, gesturing for him to leave. The young man did so quickly, and Silas turned to Belladonna, who was smirking. "Pathetic, is he not?"

She laughed. "He definitely is. How do you even find these ones?" Belladonna shook her head in amusement, before walking over to him and giving him a passionate kiss, dragging her hands across his chest. "I'll be going now, but hopefully I'll be back in time to see this play out badly."

Her hands were removed off of him and she walked away, winking at him once before walking through the double doors and leaving the room.

\- PRER -

The lieutenant base was dull in terms of activity, not having had many cases lately besides very minor infractions. They were all sitting in worry, however, when they found out that Joey had been injured earlier that morning after falling off of the roof.

It was quiet in the room as they sat around and thought about what could've happened to make him fall. Joey was more of a risk-taker than the rest of the members of either squads of rangers, but he wouldn't do something that would injure himself badly.

The extent of his injuries were not clear to any of them, but they knew he had injured his hip, which had to be extremely painful.

In one corner of the room sat Owen and Nikki, who were conversing very quietly with each other, and nearby them was Andi, who was working on the computer. Then there was Sophie in the middle of the room, and finally Autumn, Jason, and Moran on the other side. The three of them were not talking.

Actually, Autumn was nearly falling asleep, not out of boredom, but out of her exhaustion from lack of sleep.

Everyone noticed her doing so, though no one said anything. They knew she would never do it to be rude to the situation they were in, and figured it would just be better to let her relax after everything that had happened.

After a few more moments of sitting in almost silence, Lia walked into the room. The others all perked up, ready to hear what she had to say. "How's Joey?" Nikki asked.

"He did break his hip, but he doesn't have any other serious injuries," Lia told them, making them sigh in relief. "He should be fine."

"Do they know how he fell?" Jason asked.

Owen nodded, "Yeah, it's not like he could just loose his balance up there - the roof is flat."

"They think it might have been foul play," Lia answered. "Another firefighter that was there said it got intensely windy up on the roof before he fell, which is definitely unusual considering that it wasn't windy when everybody else showed up."

Autumn raised an eyebrow. "So, do they need help investigating? We could go out there and see how they're doing with only the three of them."

Lia shook her head. "No, I wouldn't worry about it. Masters and I have discussed it, and we believe that Nat is going to be promoted to a chief ranger as of today, making our teams equal in size,"

"Just what we need," Owen muttered, making Nikki nudge him.

Moran watched the exchange, a bit confused on why it was a problem for the teams to be the same size. When Lia noticed her confused look, she gestured for her to give her input, "Why is it a problem if the chiefs have the same size team as us?"

"Well, the chiefs are a little cocky," Andi spoke up. "They think they're better than us, even if they don't say it. People look at us as about equal in strength with five to four, but when they get five too, we're gonna be put out as the lesser team again."

"It's definitely unfair." Nikki said, dejectedly. "We do just as much as they do, but they get to be ranked higher than us."

"Don't worry about it, guys." Lia assured them. "It doesn't matter what others think, because we can only control our own actions. All we have to do is work as hard as we can and show that we're just as powerful, no matter if they have five rangers or not."

The lieutenant rangers seemed re-energized by her statement, nodding at her with determined looks on their faces.

Meanwhile, in the chief base, the other rangers were pacing around nervously as they tried to figure out what happened on the roof, as well as worrying about Joey's condition. Masters had told them how it was, but it didn't stop the other three from worrying for their friend.

Taz shook her head. "I don't understand how he could just fall off of the roof," She told the others. "I also don't get how the wind could pick up like that without anyone else being up there."

"Well, how do we know no one else was up there?" Tori pointed out. "Just because no one saw anyone, doesn't mean that no one was there."

"I don't know," Sean crossed his arms, tapping his leg on the floor slightly. "Maybe he was just doing a stunt up there. I mean, it's _Joey_. Could we really put it past him?"

"That's a bit far-fetched," Tori frowned. "Especially considering that he went up there to get something off of the roof, and not to jump off and break his hip."

Sean sighed, exasperatedly. His leg began tapping a bit fast as well. "You just don't see where I'm coming from."

Tori gave him a look. "You're right, I really don't see it." She gestured to his leg. "What's going on with you?"

"Nothing," He muttered, defensively.

"Okay, this isn't going anywhere," Logan cut in, turning in his chair to face them. "Maybe you guys should just try to focus on the possibility of foul play. Even if no one was up there, you have to consider that someone could've done that from afar if they were powerful enough."

"He's right." Taz agreed, looking a bit uncomfortable with Sean's behavior. "We can't just ignore the obvious winds that had to have been created by something, because that doesn't just happen,"

Before anyone else could respond, Nat came into the room quickly, standing in front of them. "There was a man on top of the building with Joey. He told me that he saw him, but he doesn't remember what he looks like."

"Of course there was," Masters spoke up as he walked into the room from his office. "How else would winds accumulate that quickly and that strong without someone being right there to do it."

"Well, then we need to find this son of a bitch," Tori crossed his arms.

Nat looked at the three of them, who were all ready to go. "Not without me. I want to take him down just as much as you."

The three exchanged glances. "Nat, you're not a ranger,"

She crossed her arms. "I don't care. I want to catch whoever did this to Joey."

"If you're gonna do that, you'll need to be a ranger," Masters told her.

"I don't care about the rules." Nat said, defiantly. "I'm gonna go out and get the person that did this and take them down."

Before Masters could respond, a loud noise was hear from outside. The chiefs ran out there, with Nat and Masters right behind them, only to find Colin standing outside of the firefighter's garage.

Colin had his arms up in the air, and fast winds were whipping around him, throwing objects around. As the winds picked up, even the truck was shaking slightly.

"Hey!" Tori yelled, catching his attention as the chiefs ran forward. "Ready?"

"Ready."

"Emergency Responders, Get Into Action!"

"Red Chief Ranger!"

"Blue Chief Ranger!"

"Green Chief Ranger!"

The three morphed and ran forward, ready to take Colin down. Masters and Nat watched the fight for a few moments, seeing how they were doing. The three chief rangers went towards Colin, but he made the winds even stronger and directed them at the chiefs, throwing them back before they could even get close.

Sean took out his blaster and shot it at Colin, but the winds sent it flying in another direction. Colin quickly made the winds circle around him, making a tornado-like formation to protect him against anything they could do.

The blue chief wasn't done yet, and attempted to use his levitation to lift him into the air and get above the winds, but Colin rose them as he did so, knocking him back to the ground.

Tori and Taz both stood at the same time, staring at the winds in shock. "How are we supposed to get through that?" Taz asked, calling to Tori over the loud winds.

"I don't know," Tori said honestly. "I've never dealt with someone with these powers before."

Nat stepped forward. "I have an idea," She told them. "If you wanna hear it."

Taz hauled Sean up to his feet as she responded, "Tell us."

"I can teleport," Nat explained. "I could teleport into the center of it and take him down."

"It's too dangerous for you," Sean disagreed. "You're not a ranger."

"Yes, she is," Masters input, holding up another morpher. "I've been waiting to give this to you, but it seems like you need it now more than ever." He said, handing the morpher to Nat.

She took a deep breath in shock, and put it on her wrist, feeling it lock on. "Alright then, I guess we'll go with my plan," She held her arm in front of her and pressed the buttons on her morpher. "Emergency Responders, Get Into Action!" She cried. "Pink Chief Ranger!"

Morphed, she had a suit just like Tori and Taz's, just in pink instead of red or green. Nat pulled the handcuffs off of her belt. "See you on the other side."

Suddenly, Nat disappeared from in front of them and appeared behind Colin. In the middle of the wind, it was perfectly still to protect Colin from the winds he was creating.

When she appeared, it startled him and made him turn around and kick her immediately. She stumbled back, almost stepping through the wind, but kept her balance. Nat ducked under a punch thrown towards her and grabbed his arm, wrenching it behind his back.

The winds started to die down as soon as she did so. Quickly, and before he could do anything else, she smacked the handcuffs on one of his hands, which immediately took the winds out.

Colin looked around in shock, not understanding how they would stop like that. Nat took the opportunity to put his other hand in the cuffs, before walking him over to the others.

"Looks like that one worked out," Nat commented, breathing out as her adrenaline wore off. She handed Colin off to Sean, before leaning against a wall nearby, laughing in relief.

"You okay?" Taz asked.

Nat looked over at her, nodding and laughing a bit more. "I've never been better."

\- PRER -

Later that night, a young man, at about the age of 24, was sitting in the den of his own house, flipping through the channels on his large television. He lived in a rather nice house, it having been bought for him by his father, Arthur when he turned 18.

This young man worked occasionally with his father as well, going to the office almost everyday while he wasn't working his other job.

Because the place was bought by his father, he also had people working there that originally worked for Arthur, serving him whenever he needed it, even if he insisted that he truly didn't need it.

Despite having a very secure and privileged life, he wasn't too fond on hiring people to work for him. He liked doing things himself, since it seemed to be easy for him to determine what was gonna happen and when.

He continued to flip through the channels until something on the news caught his eye. It was about the rangers, who he admired greatly. Ironically, it was also a dream of his to become one, after he saw all of the good they do.

 _"Today, a new chief ranger, Natasha Porter,"_ The newscaster said as a picture of Nat popped up on the screen, _"C_ _ame to fight against crime here in Waverly after the yellow chief ranger, Joseph Dixon, was injured earlier this morning,"_

As the newscaster said this, the young man pressed a button on his remote and paused the screen when Joey's picture showed up. He leaned forward and stared at the picture in shock, wondering if he was just seeing it wrong.

He rubbed his eyes slightly and looked at it again, but it still looked the same. He touched his own face, shocked to find that Joey looked exactly like him.

"Mr. Wright," A voice came from behind him, startling him out of his stupor. He turned to see a butler standing behind him. "Is there anything you need before I go to bed for the night?"

The young man took a deep breath, thinking for a moment. "Umm.. no, thank you, Louis. Just don't forget to stop calling me Mr. Wright, because that's my father. You can just call me Tony,"

Louis nodded. "Of course, Tony." He said, before exiting the room quietly, leaving Tony alone.

Tony turned back to the TV, staring at Joey's picture once more. "Who are you?" He whispered at the picture.

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Emergency Responders:** When Moran's dog, Katie, is kidnapped while the lieutenants are investigating a dog fighting ring, Moran decides to go undercover to get her back and take the ring down.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Animals

 **So, Nat's finally a ranger! I really wanted to show that she didn't care about the protection of being a ranger before she got it, as it really helps make more sense as to why she was chosen. I hope you guys liked it!**

 **Also, I have some news on my 5th anniversary for the 4th (which is tomorrow). I'm writing as much as possible, and I'm gonna try to get it out before the night ends tomorrow, but it may not make it out until Saturday, with Sunday being the latest.**

 **I didn't expect this to be the case, and I'm truly disappointed in myself for this, but I don't know how to get these chapters out any faster than I already am, as I'm writing constantly. This is my own fault, so I'm very sorry that it'll be a day or two late and I hope you can forgive me. It will definitely be up this weekend, as will the whole rest of PRRF and will end the first season of PRED.**

 **In the meantime, please vote on my poll to pick which chief gets to be in it - Tori is currently in the lead. After that, I'll get out the one for the lieutenants.**

 **Here's the lineup for the next five chapters!**

 **Ep 19: Mood -** Sean focused chapter.

 **Ep 20: Rush -** Joey focused chapter.

 **Ep 21: White Lieutenant -** Final new ranger!

 **Ep 22: Brothers -** White Lieutenant and Joey focused chapter.

 **Special: Origins Part I -** Tori and Autumn focused chapter.

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you guys back with the next one!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	19. Ep 18: Animals

**Here's the next one! This chapter has mentions of animal abuse, so be warned against that. The poll is still up for the chiefs - and Tori and Joey are tied for first! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

Silas sat in a nice chair on a risen pedestal, watching the crowd below cheering and yelling as they watched the event they were betting so heavily on. It was a dog fighting ring, and there were currently two large dogs snarling at each other.

The two owners stood closest to the ring, yelling at their individual dogs to attack and defeat the other dog so they would get paid.

One of the dogs lunged at the other, grabbing onto it's opponent's leg with it's teeth. The other dog yelped before moving to bite the other's neck. The two continued to fight for a while, biting and scratching at each other until one of the dogs was laying prone on the ground.

A referee of sorts walked into the ring while one of the owners grabbed the winner, and checked over the prone dog. He stood up and made a signal at Silas to tell him that it was dead.

"Excellent." Silas nodded to him. "Pay up, fellas. Winner gets next round."

The owner of the succeeding dog looked around. "Boss, all of the other dogs are still messed up from last week."

"I see," Silas clenched his fists, standing up and walking down to the ring, roughly grabbing the winning dog from his owner's arms. The crowd went silent as he held the dog up for everyone to see, before brutally snapping it's neck.

"Boss!" The owner cried as Silas dropped the lifeless body of the winning dog to the ground.

"Find me some more dogs to fight," Silas hissed lowly, his tone murderous. "Or your precious pooch won't be the only one with a broken neck."

He walked back through the crowd, exiting the room through the back door as he heard arguments begin from inside. Silas smirked slightly to himself, walking away until he saw a limo ahead of him. He got into the limo and nodded at the driver to go.

"How was it?" Belladonna asked, dressed up in a slim-fitting dress and fur coat.

"Bloody, as usual." Silas responded, using a handkerchief to wipe blood from his fingers as they drove off towards their warehouse.

 **\- Cue Opening 2 -**

The next day, Moran yawned to herself as she walked into work, holding Katie's leash with one hand and a coffee with the other. She sipped lightly at the coffee, waiting for it's warmth and caffeine to wake her up as it did every morning.

Walking into the lieutenant base, she was surprised to find everyone else already at work. Sophie and Andi were typing at their computers, as usual, while the other rangers were bustling around the base, doing some kind of work.

She set her coffee down on a table and made her way over to Autumn, who also seemed tired. "Do we usually start this early?" Moran asked, softly.

Autumn shook her head. "Not usually." She assured her. "Only when we have a case."

"We haven't even been told what the case is yet," Nikki loudly called to them from across the room. "We just like to be prepared."

"What does that mean?" Moran frowned in confusion.

"Don't worry about it," Autumn chuckled. "We're just waiting for Lia to come in and give us our case, and when that happens, we like to clean up some of our old cases so we're ready for the new one."

Moran raised an eyebrow. "Oh, okay." She said, unsurely.

"Rise and shine lieutenants," Lia announced as she waltzed into the room, standing at the middle console. The rangers gathered around. "As you already know, we have a case today." She used a small remote to bring a projection out of the console. The picture that popped up was of an awful shallow grave with a few dogs laying in it. "I apologize for the graphic photo, but it seems we may have a dog fighting ring on our hands."

Jason grimaced in sympathy. "That's horrible."

Lia nodded. "I agree. That's why we need to take care of this." She told them. "The address is in this file, and I'd like you guys to go check it out. Moran, I want you to bring Katie in case she can sniff something out."

"Alright." Moran responded, though she was nervous about taking her dog into a place like that.

"That's our cue," Autumn gestured to the door, grabbing the file from Lia. "Let's get out of here and find those sons of bitches."

The other rangers nodded in the response and everyone followed Autumn out of the lieutenant base.

Meanwhile, over in the chief base, Tori watched the lieutenants rush by to go take care of a case, and was surprised when she saw Joey limp in to work. He had a cane to help him walk, and he definitely didn't look like he should be there.

Looking back at Nat, she saw that the pink chief was also surprised to see Joey had come into work only a few weeks after his accident. With his injury, he wasn't able to do any field work, and they currently didn't have a lot of paperwork to do.

Before Nat could go over to talk to him, Tori held a hand up to stop her and decided to do it herself. "Joey," She said, sternly.

"Tori," Joey mocked, using her tone of voice.

"What are you doing here?" Tori rolled her eyes at him. "You're supposed to be at home so you can recover."

He sighed. "Honestly, I couldn't deal with being cooped like that anymore. Besides, my mom is back in town and she won't stop fussing."

"That's nice, mamma's boy," She crossed her arms. "But that doesn't mean you can just come to work when you can't do any work. You could hurt yourself even worse by pushing it."

Joey gave her an amused look. "It's good to know that you care about me so much, Tori, but I'd rather be here on desk duty than at home doing nothing."

Tori scowled. "We don't have much for you to do, right now. That's why no one called you in."

The yellow chief snorted. "No one called me in because you guys don't want me to work while I'm injured, which I am perfectly capable of. Sure, I can't do field work, but I can definitely write on some papers or type on the computer."

"I don't think you should." Tori stopped him from going any further. "I think you should be at home, resting."

Nat overheard them. "Joey, I have to agree," She spoke up, coming over to join the conversation. "You do need to keep off of your leg as much as possible."

"Well, I don't want to spend the day with my mom doing nothing," Joey retorted.

"Maybe you should've moved out of your parent's house once you were old enough, then." Tori quipped.

A sigh came from Nat, who gestured for Joey not to respond. "Come on, I'll take the day off and stay at home with you, okay?"

"Who said you could do that?" Tori looked at her quickly.

She shrugged. "No one, but if it's the only way he'll stay there, then I'll do it," Nat nodded her head at the door. "Let's go, I'll call Masters once we get there." Joey didn't make an argument, and followed her out.

On the other side of the room, Sean saw them leave and nudged Taz. "Hey, let's get out of here for a little while."

"What?" Taz frowned up at him. "Masters would kill us."

Sean didn't seem worried. "It's fine, I'll take the blow for you. I just really wanna take you out."

Taz looked up at the clock, seeing that it wasn't even close to either of their breaks or lunch, "But, Sean..."

"Come on, please?" Sean practically begged her. "Don't make me get on my knees. I just wanna take my beautiful girlfriend out to get some new things."

"I..." Taz sighed, seeing that Tori was distracted from across the room. "Okay, but we need to make this quick. I really like having a job,"

He smiled boldly and grabbed her by the hand, pulling her quickly from the room, leaving Tori alone in the chief base with Sera and Logan.

\- PRER -

Once the lieutenants got to the scene, they split up into groups. Nikki, Jason, and Owen went to talk to witnesses and examine the area, while Autumn and Moran went the other way to look at the bodies and grave.

When Autumn and Moran made it over to the mass grave, Moran became became visibly upset. She turned to Autumn, who also looking down at the bodies of the dogs with displeasure.

"This is awful," Moran shook her head, leaning down to take the leash off of the Katie's collar.

"What are you doing?" Autumn asked in confusion.

After letting Katie off of the leash, Moran looked back at Autumn. "I don't want her to be over here for this," She told her. "We can figure it out without her. She's not gonna be over her unless it's absolutely necessary."

 _Go and wait over by the cars,_ Moran told Katie.

Katie looked up at her, questioningly, _Are you sure you don't need more help?_

 _I'm sure,_ She nodded, leaving no room for argument. Moran gestured towards the parking lot, and Katie reluctantly left to go over there.

Autumn watched the exchange, "Are you sure we can do this without her? I mean, she might be able to sniff something out that would lead us to the guys."

"Well, we already know where they have the dogs fight," Moran pointed out. "We just need evidence against them."

"And we need to figure out who's running the ring." Autumn said. "Obviously we can charge everyone there just for participating, but it really matters to find out who runs it so we can lock them up with a proper sentence."

"I'll figure it out," Moran assured her. "I would never let someone who did this go."

The red lieutenant sighed, but nodded. "Alright."

Together, they made their way over to the bodies and looked them over, grimacing at the bite marks they sustained from fighting, as well as the signs of obvious abuse the dogs took from their owners.

One of the other officers on the scene came over to them. "One of the neighbors out here caught a man burying one of them out here this morning, and when she yelled at him, the guy ran."

"Do you know how many dogs this dog fighting ring has?" Moran spoke up, before Autumn could. This actually surprised Autumn, knowing how quiet Moran could be.

He shook his head. "We're not sure, but this operation has been going on for quite a while, so I wouldn't be shocked to hear a high number."

Moran scowled. "These guys are sick."

Before any of them could say anything else, they heard Nikki yell from afar, "Moran!" Autumn and Moran exchanged looks, before running over to the others in the parking lot.

"What's going on?" Moran asked, looking around. "Where's Katie?"

Nikki held up a collar, looking at her sympathetically. "I found this a few feet away, but Katie's not here."

"No," Moran whispered to herself. "That's impossible. She's a trained police dog - she couldn't get kidnapped."

"I'm sorry." Jason told her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't say that." Moran shrugged his hand off, looking around at the other four rangers. She thought for a few moments, before speaking up again. "I'm getting her back, and I have a plan to do it."

\- PRER -

Meanwhile, Sean had brought Taz to the mall and brought her into her favorite clothing store, looking around wildly like it was his first time ever doing something like this. He turned to her and gestured to the clothes.

"Buy whatever you want!" He exclaimed, smiling widely. "And I mean anything. I will buy everything you want right now."

"Wait, what?" Taz paused for a moment. "Do you have the money for that, Sean? Because I appreciate the gesture, but I don't want you to go broke for me."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her further into the store. "I definitely have the cash for this. Don't worry about it, I just want you to be happy with a bunch of new clothes to rock with."

"But didn't we just go shopping for some furniture a while back?" Taz frowned. "We spent some serious money, and I really think that you should slow down on your spending if you want to keep up with your bills and stuff."

"I told you not to worry about it." Sean stepped in front of her, grasping her by the shoulders. "I will take care of everything, including the bills. Come on, I'll take you around and you tell me what you want. We'll pick it up and you can try it on. If you like it, we'll buy it."

"Are you sure?" Taz rubbed her arm nervously.

Sean nodded quickly. "Yes, of course. You need someone to treat you like a princess, and that's exactly what I'm doing."

She smiled softly, and allowed him to take her through the store. Anything she even mentioned, Sean picked up one in her size. They eventually had so much clothes that Sean could barely hold them in his arms, and Taz lead him over to the dressing room.

While she tried things on, he waited anxiously outside the door to see if she liked it. They picked out a little over half of the things the two had grabbed, taking them and waiting in line for the cashier.

Taz began to look at the price tags on the clothing, and felt a bit of worry bubble up in her again. "Sean, have you seen these prices?"

"What about them?" Sean shrugged. "I've seen worse."

"Oh, alright," Taz looked around the small trinkets around the line idly, not wanting to bring it up once more. If he was set on doing it, her saying something wouldn't change his mind all that much.

When they got up to the counter, they waited for their total. While they did so, Sean was tapping his hands on the counter energetically. "Your total comes up to $387.96."

"Put it on my card," Sean handed it to her, as a shocked Taz watched from beside him. She had never spent that much on clothes in one sitting in her life.

The cashier rang them up, before handing the card back to Sean and bagging the clothes up. The woman gave them the bag and smiled at them as they exited the store and made their way down the hallway of the mall.

"Sean, that was a lot of money," Taz said, worriedly. "And I think we just passed the exit."

"You worry way too much," Sean stopped her, shaking his head. "Maybe we should go out for drinks to loosen you up."

"It's 10 am." Taz pointed out. "And we need to get back to work, or Masters will fire us. It was fun while it lasted, but I think we should finish up our trip."

He made a face, "I was just trying to take you out to have some fun, but I can see where your mind is at. Fine, I'll take you back to work, but I'm going out after I drop you off."

She stared at him in shock as they went towards the exit. "What has gotten into you? You're not acting like yourself."

"Oh, now you're insulting me too," Sean rolled his eyes as he threw the clothes in the back of the car and stormed into the front seat. "That's fantastic. Well, you either need to get in the car right now, or I'm leaving you here."

Taz looked down, biting her lip as she carefully got in the car and shut the door, allowing him to drive her back to work.

\- PRER -

Later that night, Moran walked slowly up to the barn where the dog fighting ring was held, wearing an all black outfit and baring cash in hand. She looked back out to see the other lieutenants waiting for her in the area surrounding the barn, ready to take in any runners.

Nodding once at them, she made her way inside. The inside of the barn was loud with large men and a few women that were all talking over each other and throwing money around for bets.

She walked through the barn carefully, not trying to draw too much attention to herself as she looked for the dogs.

Suddenly, a loud bark came from the side and she looked over to the cages to see Katie wagging her tail boldly at her and barking. She pursed her lips and spoke from afar, _I'm here to rescue you, but you need to stay quiet. I can't save you if they know why I'm here._

Katie seemed to understand and became silent almost instantly, making someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned to see a man, a bit older than her, standing behind her, smiling strangely. "I haven't seen you around here before."

"Oh yeah, I'm new to town," Moran told him, feigning a tough attitude. "When I heard about this, I had to get involved."

"Well, I assume you must know that there's a fee to be here," He told her, and she held up some money. "I guess you already did."

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I've done this enough times before."

He looked her over, smirking slyly. "Who are you, pretty lady?"

"My name's..." She paused for a moment, thinking of something to tell him. "Katherine. My name is Katherine. Who are you?"

"I'm surprised you don't know who I am, if you've looked into this," He chuckled. "I'm..."

"Silas!" A voice yelled, making the young man in front of her turn around. When he did, she felt her blood run cold. Although she hadn't been a ranger long, she definitely knew about Silas and everything he was about. "Come on, we're about to get started."

Silas turned back to her, gesturing to the ring. "I've got to get started, but I'll talk to you later on."

"Alright," Moran said, trying to keep her voice level, though it was difficult with how rattled she felt. She watched him go up to his pedestal and shoot off the gun that signified the start of the fight.

It was hard for her to keep a straight face as the fight started, but she managed to do so until she saw everyone get rowdy with excitement. When they did, she slipped off to the side and undid the locks on Katie's cage.

 _Are you okay?_ Moran asked, looking her over.

Katie licked her face, _I'm great, now that you're here. Are we gonna bust them?_

 _We are, but Silas is here, so this is really important,_ Moran explained. _He's the worst of the worst. If we can get him, we might make things a whole lot easier._

 _Got it, Moran._ Katie told her.

Moran led Katie out of the back and pulled out a blaster, pointing it at the roof and shooting a portion of it to fall out. It fell on top of a few men and instantly stopped all of the ruckus.

Everyone turned to her, and she held up her badge to reveal who she was. "You're all under arrest," She announced.

Immediately, men glared and attempted to pull weapons on her, but she shot their hands with her blaster and stopped them before they could do so. Instead, the men began to flee the building so they wouldn't be caught.

She rushed over the the cages and began letting all of the dogs out. _Get those men!_ She called to them, and watched as they ran after their abusive owners.

The whole barn was in chaos, and Moran looked up to see Silas standing above it all, looking down as if he was disappointed in everyone there. He turned to look at Moran, shooting her a glare as he hopped down from his pedestal and stalked over to her, ducking past the blasts that she shot at him.

He shot his hand out and grabbed her by the neck, hoisting her into the air and squeezing her throat tightly. "No one walks into my place uninvited and ruins it, lieutenant."

"Don't." Moran gasped out, struggling in his grasp.

Silas scoffed. "Don't what? Don't kill you?" He threw her to the ground a few feet away, kicking Katie to the side when she tried to bite his leg. He walked closer to her and punched her hard in the face when she tried to stand, making blood spew from her nose. "I'm not going to. I know your team is outside, and I'm not dumb enough to let them catch me just so I can kill one pathetic lieutenant."

Moran stared up at him in shock as he spit on the ground next to her. "You're gonna let me live?"

"Of course," Silas knelt down beside her, getting close to her face. "Like I said, I'm not dumb. I'll let you live for now, but you should be warned against crossing me again, little girl."

The crime lord stood suddenly, walking out of the barn in a secret exit and making his way past all of the activity going on nearby with the lieutenants and everyone else that was in the barn. He passed through the field and made his way to his limo, where he got in and quickly gestured for the driver to leave.

Belladonna raised an eyebrow at his disheveled appearance, but said nothing about it. "How was it?"

"Bloody," Silas muttered, wiping Moran's blood from his fingers. "As usual."

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Emergency Responders:** Sean's behavior escalates, revealing he hasn't been taking his medication for bipolar disorder. Meanwhile, the lieutenants investigate Silas' next plan.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Mood

 **So, yes, one of the rangers has finally come face to face with Silas himself. I know that Tori saw him on the holograph when she and Autumn were kidnapped, but none of them have really saw him in person until now. As I've written Silas, I've really come to like him as my main villain. Most of my main villains are boring and barely featured, but Silas is not the case (similarly to Jetta from PRRF) and I really enjoy writing him.**

 **Don't forget to vote for your favorite chief ranger! Tori and Joey are tied, so I'll need a tie-breaker unless you want me to choose for myself! The poll for your favorite lieutenant will be up within the next two chapters!  
**

 **Here's the lineup for the next five chapters!**

 **Ep 20: Rush -** Joey focused chapter.

 **Ep 21: White Lieutenant -** Final new ranger!

 **Ep 22: Brothers -** White Lieutenant and Joey focused chapter.

 **Special: Origins Part I -** Tori and Autumn focused chapter.

 **Special: Origins Part II -** Sean and Jason focused chapter.

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you guys back with the next one!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	20. Ep 19: Mood

**Hey guys, I'm officially back! The new character I brought in in that little teaser from two chapters ago, Tony, is back in this one! He's gonna start to be an important and main character from this chapter on, and you should especially pay attention to the ending with him. Hope you guys enjoy!**

 **Oh, and read below for an update about everything.**

* * *

 _\- Flashback -_

 _"You need to take these, sir," An older nurse said sternly. She was holding a small cup of medication and was trying to give it to an 19 year old Sean, who was sitting on a bed in a crisp, white outfit. He looked up at her defiantly. "It's hospital policy. If you don't take these, we'll have to sedate you instead."_

 _Sean crossed his arms. "I don't need them. I'm not some psych case." He shook his head. "I shouldn't even be here."_

 _She rolled her eyes. "You were brought here for a reason. Dr. Matthews has looked over your case and prescribed these pills to you. You need to take them for your own good."_

 _"I'd like to disagree," Sean muttered. "But I guess my rights don't matter anymore, do they?"_

 _"No, not when you were brought in by the police for harassing and nearly assaulting a man for nothing." She replied._

 _"He wasn't doing nothing!" Sean protested. "He insulted me because he thought I was drinking and driving. In my opinion, I think he should be the one in here."_

 _The nurse gave him a pointed look. "You_ were _drinking and driving, sir."_

 _"It helps me calm my mind when I need it." He insisted. "This is the first time something like this has ever happened to me. Why did they take me straight to the psych ward?"_

 _It took everything in the nurse's power not to snap back. She opened her mouth to respond, but Dr. Matthews came in and held up a hand for her to stop what she was doing. He took the small cup of pills from her and gestured for her to leave. She did so reluctantly._

 _Dr. Matthews sighed. "Sean, I'd like you to take this medication." He said, kindly but strictly. "It'll help you calm down."_

 _"No," Sean turned away when the doctor offered them to him. "All they do is slow my mind down and not let me feel what I want to feel. I don't wanna take them anymore."_

 _"These are different than the ones Dr. Collins has been giving you." Dr. Matthews assured him. "I've read your records and I know all about what she gives you and your history with Bipolar disorder. These pills should help you keep a clear mind and not deal with everything that Bipolar brings on all the time."_

 _He stared at the doctor, looking at the pills hesitantly. "Really?" He nearly pushed them away again. "But I don't need them. I feel fine."_

 _"Of course you do," Dr. Matthews nodded. "You're going through a manic episode right now. Keep in mind that with mania comes depression, and if you don't control it now, you're gonna be right back where you were at before you started on your medication."_

 _"But after depression comes mania again," Sean pointed out. "And I love it. It's the best high you could ever feel. I'd live with depression everyday for just a little mania. I was here last time and they put me on stuff that made all of that go away."_

 _"Keep in mind that mania is not good for you." Dr. Matthews reminded him. "You need to take your medication because it will only get worse. The day you were diagnosed, you came in here after assaulting someone. Please, take your medication and then we can talk more about this."_

 _Sean looked down at the meds once more, before taking the small cup and tilting it into his mouth, swallowing them dry._

 _\- End of Flashback -_

 **\- Cue Opening 2 -**

Now, six years later, Sean sat in his car in the underground parking garage beneath ER, listening to loud music and dancing to it wildly in his seat. He had all of the windows rolled up, but the music was so loud that everyone else in said garage could hear it from afar.

As he usually did when he was in the car, Sean was listening to booming rock music, though he never had it up this loud.

Other people who worked at ER walked by his car, frowning when they saw him in there. Some frowned because they knew him and had never seen him so energetic before, and others were frowning at the loudness of the music, wondering how Sean didn't have hearing loss by now.

That morning, Sean had also taken Taz to work with him, which they sometimes did when they didn't have anything else to do separately. Taz had gone up to the chief base without him, but when he didn't come up after her, she decided to go back down to see what he was doing.

Tapping on his window, Taz startled Sean, who turned to look at her before he rolled the window down. When he did, all of his music filled the garage even further, making everyone nearby look at them.

"Sean, what are you doing?" She asked, waving at people who stared at them, embarrassed by his behavior. "You know Masters will kill you if he finds you down here doing this."

He shrugged. "So what? I was actually thinking of starting my own business anyways."

"What are you talking about?" Taz looked at him like he was crazy.

"Starting my own business, duh." Sean responded, as if it was obvious. "I'm gonna be the CEO of a new phone company. You're currently looking at the next Bill Gates. You should be honored."

"Okay," Taz said slowly, confused. "Well, right now you still have a job here, so can you come upstairs?"

Sean sighed exasperatedly. "Fine," He drawled, reaching over and turning his music off irritatedly, before pulling his keys out of the ignition and getting out of the car. Once he was out, he grabbed Taz suddenly and kissed her passionately, running his hands over her body. He let go and smirked at her. "That's just a taste of what you'll get later."

Taz stared at him in shock as he walked towards the elevator, fixing her shirt and taking a deep breath. She closed her eyes for a moment before following after him, staying a bit away when they were both in the elevator together.

Before she could react, he took her hand and lead her out of the elevator, pulling her quickly along with him as they went into the chief base.

"Good morning!" Sean called out. Everyone in the room stopped and turned to him, looking a bit chagrined.

They walked further into the base, stopping at the middle console when Masters walked in. Masters cleared his throat, gesturing for all of them to gather around the console for his instructions.

"What's up, boss-man?" Sean greeted.

Masters froze before he spoke, turning to Sean with a glare. "Excuse me?"

"He's just a little overexcited today," Taz interrupted. "He didn't mean anything by it, Masters."

"I'm sure." Masters nodded, giving Sean a scolding look before addressing everyone. "Since Joey's still out of commission, our possible lead on Silas is going to be passed over to the lieutenants temporarily, unless something important is found. You four are gonna be going out on patrol in partners today."

"Can I be with Sean?" Tori spoke up before Masters could assign them partners. "We haven't been paired in a while." She fixed him with a look.

He sighed. "Yes, you and Sean can go out and patrol around the pier," Masters told her. "Taz and Nat can take the town square."

"Wait a minute," Sean stopped them. "Why is our case being passed over to the lieutenants just because Joey is out? I think we can handle it. What's going on?"

The chief mentor fixed Sean with a scowl. "Those orders come from higher-up, not me. Besides that, the new lieutenant, Moran, actually came in contact with Silas, so I figure they might as well have it for now."

Tori frowned. "Okay, but what _is_ going on?" She asked, not unkindly.

"We believe Silas is looking to steal money from a fairly rich man named Arthur Wright," Masters explained. "Arthur is the CEO of the NSHT building in town, and..." He trailed off when Sean starts chuckling. "Yes, Sean?"

"What kind of name is NSHT?" Sean laughed.

"NSHT stands for National Superhuman Taskforce," Masters told him, his tone cold. "They are the main people that fund places like ER and have their own agency with special agents more highly trained than anyone here. Arthur brought up a branch of NSHT by himself and made it more money than you can imagine by creating new equipment to protect the people we save. Their equipment created our morphers. Without his efforts, we wouldn't be as far as we are now."

Sean shrugged. "I could've come up with a better name."

Nat stepped in between them when she saw Masters face turn dark as he glared daggers at Sean. "Okay, let's stop there," She said. "We should probably get out there. I'm sure the lieutenants will do fine on our case today,"

She got the four rangers out of the door and gave Tori a pursed lip smile as she took Taz and went the other way, while Tori led Sean out of ER.

\- PRER -

Silas laid in his bed, staring up at the ceiling as Belladonna lay quietly against his chest. The two were covered by blankets, and Silas had his arm wrapped around Belladonna in a way he didn't usually do.

After Moran had saw him and tried to take him out at the dog fighting ring, Belladonna had been on edge and worried about the whole thing, while he wasn't too sure how he felt about it.

On one hand, he wasn't too worried about it. The rangers, even if they knew where he was at all times, would never just swoop in to take him out because they knew of the retaliation that would come. They knew it wasn't that simple, and they definitely didn't have the manpower to handle a full scale riot against them.

On the other hand, Silas had to admit that it was a bit disconcerting that they had found him and even had a ranger undercover right under his nose, and he didn't know about it. He usually felt strong against the rangers, and he knew he was, but it really smacked him in the face with how much he had been risking by overestimating himself.

Having had a long time to think about it afterwards, he decided that he wasn't going to look at himself as invincible anymore. That was what damaged his father and made him take over in the first place. He loved his father, and still did, but he didn't want to fall down the same path as he did.

Besides that, his father expected better from him. He wasn't disappointed in Silas, but he was definitely distressed by the information.

Belladonna shifted against his chest, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Are you thinking about our heist plans?"

"That's..." Silas trailed off, knowing how he couldn't trust Belladonna. "Exactly what I was thinking about. If we steal from Arthur Wright, we can take his weapons and products to use against the rangers."

"Not only that, but imagine the money we would get," Belladonna raved, smiling wildly. "He's very rich, and I could definitely use some of that cash right about now."

He nodded. "Yes, that would be excellent."

"But we're only gonna do it if the rangers are off of our asses." She said, sternly. "So, I don't think we should do it yet."

"No, we're not going to." Silas agreed. "It will take a few months to plan, and I'm sure one of the men from the dog fights has told the rangers something about it. Besides, I have other things planned for the rangers in the meantime. Be assured that I would never do anything to put our mission at risk."

"Are you sure?" Belladonna asked, irritatedly. "Because you're the one who was almost caught a little bit ago."

Silas suddenly sat up, pushing her away from him. "I don't think you have the right to talk about that, considering how you purposefully got your sister caught for you crimes. They know she wasn't the only one, Belladonna. Don't treat me like I'm the only one."

She sat up as well, glaring at him, "My sister was willing to do, and she hasn't snitched on me yet. If she's lucky, maybe I'll break her out one of these days; Lara deserves it."

"Get out of my bed," Silas told her lowly. "Lara may have been willing to do that, but I'm not willing to have this conversation with you. I'd like you to leave."

Huffing, Belladonna stood. "Fine. Just remember who your allies are when the time comes."

"Are you really my ally?" He asked as she walked away, making her stop. "Or are you with me simply for the reward when it comes?"

"I don't have to listen to this," Belladonna shook her head, stalking into the bathroom to put her clothes on while Silas laid back in bed alone.

\- PRER -

At the pier, Tori and Sean were walking along, keeping a look out for anything suspicious while they were on patrol. Tori watched as Sean walked rather quickly and was looking around intensely. She was about to say something when he suddenly slowed down and rolled his eyes.

"There's nothing here," He announced, holding his hands up in defeat. "Masters knew that. He must have just sent us here for a test."

"What?" Tori raised an eyebrow. "Why would he want to test us?"

"I don't know, I'm not Masters," Sean shrugged roughly. "Maybe he sent us here to get rid of us."

She scoffed. "Okay, well I think you know what my next question is gonna be."

"Tori, there's no other explanation for why he sent us here." Sean told her, getting frustrated. "Masters has something up his sleeve; I can feel it in my bones."

"Okay, that's enough." Tori stopped in her tracks, making him do the same. "I know you're not taking your meds, Sean. You may think you've got everyone fooled, or maybe you don't care to fool them, but it's very obvious. You haven't been yourself in over a month, and it's getting out of hand."

Sean crossed his arms, glaring at her. "Why is it any of your business? So what if I don't take my meds? I don't need them! I have never felt better than I do now. Those pills were just holding me back."

Tori sighed. "No, they were making sure you weren't manic, which you have been and are now. The only reason you feel so good is because of your mania. You need to talk to your psychiatrist and get it under control."

"I'm fine." Sean growled, turning to walk away from her.

"You're not fine!" She called after him. He stopped again, taking a deep breath to contain himself as he turned around. "You need help. I've seen your reports, the ones you had to turn into Masters when you became a chief, and I know that you can get dangerous when you're manic. This isn't good for you."

He stormed up to her and got close to her face, jabbing a finger hard into her shoulder. "You don't know anything about me, bitch!"

"All you're doing is proving my point," Tori said lowly, staring back at him without flinching. "Now get out of my face before I make you."

"Try me," Sean held his hands out provocatively. "Hit me."

"Not unless you hit me first." Tori responded. Before Tori could speak further, Sean shoved her back hard. She stumbled back and nearly fell, before looking back at him. "This isn't something you want to get into, Sean."

Again, he walked up to her and shoved her roughly. Her back hit a wall and, as he walked up to her again, Tori kicked him in the stomach and watched him fall to his knees. He stood back up and came closer, making her jab him in the face a few times. He fell back a few steps, leaning against a bench nearby. He groaned and wiped blood from his face. His groan then turned into hysterical laughter as he stood back up. "Is that all you got?"

Shaking her head, Tori spoke up, "I'm not gonna fight you."

"That's too bad," Sean stood fully and lunged at her, slamming her hard into the wall. She struggled against him pinning her there, kicking and punching at him. She kicked him in the shin, which made him stumble to the side and sent both of them to the ground.

The two fought for control on the ground, with Sean eventually pinning her to the ground since she was only fighting to gain the upper hand instead of to harm him and staring threateningly down at her, much to the shock of the patrons gathering in a crowd around them.

"Don't do this." Tori stared up at him, actually feeling fearful. She chose to only defend herself in the fight rather than actually fight, and now she had no idea what he was gonna do to her.

"You started this." Sean growled, punching her in the face.

Her head knocked back slightly and she winced, trying to keep a strong facade up. He began repeatedly punching her over and over, barely leaving anytime for her to step in and block some of the punches.

When she became winded, he knocked her hands away and continued to punch without any signs of letting up anytime soon.

"Hey!" A booming voice called from behind them.

Neither of them had time to look up before a taser hit Sean's back and shocked him, making him fall off of Tori and loose consciousness.

\- PRER -

Meanwhile, the lieutenants arrived at the NSHT building, looking up at the large skyscraper before carefully walking in. They showed security their ER ranger badges before walking into the main lobby. The group looked around before locating the elevator.

"Okay, Owen stay down here," Autumn ordered. "We need you on lookout in case of anything suspicious."

"Got it." Owen nodded, taking a stand in the front while the others went over to the elevator and took it up to the top floor, where Arthur Wright's office was.

There was a long hallway that led to multiple offices and a few hallways. Autumn turned to Moran. "Can you check out the hallways? Just do a quick walk to check for anyone out of place before you come in,"

Moran nodded and took off down the opposite way than they did. She walked slowly, eyeing both directions and peeking in open doors to see if she could see anything suspicious or out of the ordinary.

When she turned the corner, distracted by looking at a security camera on the wall, she bumped into a young man who was walking towards her and was knocked off of her feet while he spilled his papers all over the floor.

Embarrassed, Moran cringed and leaned forward to help him pick up the papers, muttering, "I'm so sorry,"

"Don't worry about it," The young man replied, grabbing his papers and tucking them under his arm before offering a hand to help her up. "It's my fault, I should've been watching where I was going."

"No, it was..." Moran trailed off as she finally got a look at him, and was startled when she saw his appearance. "Joey?" She questioned, as he looked exactly like Joey, only his hair was styled a bit different and he wore a white dress shirt, khaki dress pants, and black converse.

He raised an eyebrow, "No," He chuckled lightly. "Though it's not the first time I've ever been mistaken for someone else." She blushed in embarrassment, and he held his hand out, "I'm Anthony Wright, but you can call me Tony. You are?"

"Moran Blue," She shook his hand, a bit flustered. "Umm.. _Officer_ Moran Blue." Moran pulled out her badge, offering it to him.

"Wow, you're a ranger?" Tony asked, barely glancing at her badge, before waving it off. "That's highly impressive. I've always wished I could work on the force like that."

"Really?" Moran looked around at the building they were in, before looking Tony over. "I wouldn't expect that from someone who works in a place like this. No offense, but it just seems like more an office dwelling version of saving lives than out in the field."

Tony laughed, "Yeah, probably not. I guess it's a good thing I don't really work here." He commented. "This is my dad's company. I'm actually a private detective,"

"Oh, well now I feel like an idiot," Moran laughed back, albeit nervously. "Well, you got the look down. You look almost exactly like a coworker of mine."

"Joey, I'm guessing?" Tony quipped, and Moran nodded shyly. "He must be a pretty good looking guy, then."

Moran blushed at his comment. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were flirting with me, Tony."

"I'm sorry, I'm probably making you uncomfortable," Tony responded, shifting the papers in his arms. "I'm not usually so straightforward, I promise - in fact, you probably wouldn't have even noticed on a normal day. I like to take things slow, you know?"

She smirked slightly. "How do I know that's not just something you tell all the girls?"

Gesturing around, he smirked in response. "What women do you see around here? Besides that, I guess you can't know, but I've always liked to think of myself as better than one of those guys, even if that sounds conceited. I don't like just messing around with people, I like to play it safe."

"Good answer," Moran bit her lip, before shrugging. "I'd love to hang around and talk, honestly, but I've got to catch up with my team." She, on a whim, touched his arm briefly as she walked away. "It's nice to meet you."

He smiled and nodded. "You too. Hopefully I'll see you again, sometime."

"Hopefully," She agreed, before departing from him and continuing down the hallway, taking a look back to see he was gone and sighed in a bit of disappointment. Despite this, Moran continued down the hallway, checking around before she made it back to the room she was supposed to be in, slipping in and hoping she wouldn't be noticed for being late.

\- PRER -

Tori sat in the waiting room of the psychiatry ward at the hospital, holding an ice pack to her bruised face. Thankfully, there was no real damage that had been done by Sean's intense assault on her, but she was definitely sore and would have some blossoming colors on her face to coincide with it.

She leaned forward in her seat slightly as Taz and Nat came into the room, both looking disheveled by the news - Taz especially. The green ranger was very obviously worried, though her expression turned darker when she saw Tori's face.

"Oh my god," Taz moved towards her, sitting next to Tori to try and see the damage. "Are you alright? Sean hurt you like this?"

"It looks worse than it is," Tori assured her, pulling her hands away from her face. "He did, but only because I confronted him about being off of his meds, which he shouldn't have been off of."

Taz ran a hand through her hair, pursing her lips. "He told me about it a while ago, but I didn't even think anything of it when he started acting off. I should've known."

"Don't blame yourself," Nat butt in, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You were only trusting him on what he said."

"So what do I do now? I've never dealt with something like this before," Taz said, worriedly.

"You need to do what's best for yourself." Nat advised, after Tori didn't say anything. "If you can't handle something like this, maybe you need to take a step back, but if you really love him and want to be there regardless, then you need to stay and fight for him."

The red chief looked up at her, her expression wary. "I wouldn't stay." She admitted, bluntly. "He's my friend, and I do care about Sean, but he's borderline abusive like this. He needs to clean himself up before you should be comfortable like that."

"I don't know, Tori," Taz played with her hair aimlessly. "I think Nat's right. I love Sean too much to let him go because of a mental illness that he can't control, especially when he does so good when he _is_ on his meds. I'm gonna stay around and help him get through this, so that I can do so in the future too."

"If you say so." Tori shifted the ice pack on her face.

The three lapsed into silence for a few moments before a doctor came towards them in the waiting room. "You three are here for Sean Francis?"

"Yes," Taz turned to him eagerly. "I'm his girlfriend."

He nodded in understanding, "Ah, well, I'm here to deliver some good and bad news." The doctor told them. "Sean is currently sedated and is being immediately put back on his medication. Unfortunately, it will take a few weeks to start working effectively, and we would like to keep him here in the meantime for his safety, as well as that of others."

They exchanged looks, and Taz spoke up again. "But, he'll be alright?"

"I'm hopeful, considering his immense progress with his current psychologist," He responded. "We're just monitoring him until he calms down to a more appropriate state."

Nat nudged Taz lightly and asked, "Can she see him?"

"At the current time, I'm going to have to say no," The doctor responded, sympathetically. "You'll likely be able to see him later tonight or early tomorrow morning at the soonest. We can call you, if you'd like."

"That's alright," Taz shook her head. "I'm gonna go back to our apartment to get some things for him and then come back to wait."

"Sounds fine," He said. "I'll have a nurse let you know when you're allowed back."

Taz gave him a small smile. "Thank you, doctor."

The doctor nodded back at her and left to go attend other patients, while Nat turned to Taz. "Do you want me to wait with you?"

"No, it's okay." Taz said. "It'll be a while, so don't worry about it." She picked up her bag. "I have to stop by the apartment anyways."

"I'll give you a ride." Tori offered, standing up from her seat. "I'm gonna get back to ER to tell Masters the situation."

"Thanks," Taz replied gratefully as the three left the hospital, hoping for the best.

\- PRER -

Belladonna sat alone in a much nicer place than Silas' warehouse, being a rather upscale hotel room in the middle of Waverly. She had left her obtained room and went down to the private conference room in a secluded location in the back of the hotel, sitting at the chair at the end of a long table as she sipping on a glass of red wine.

She was also watching a security camera video from NSHT's building and looking through hacked files from people in the building on her laptop. Something had just caught her eye when a figure in a concealed outfit made their way into the room and sat next to her.

"You're early, for once," Belladonna commented, taking her eye off of the computer to look at the person sitting next to her. "What's the occasion?"

"Maybe it's a get-out-of-prison-early occasion," The figure, who had a feminine voice, retorted. "But then we would've met earlier, considering I've been out for a while now. I think I'm only here because I'm curious about what you want."

A smirk tugged on Belladonna's lips. "I want you to work for me, as I'm sure you already knew."

"Oh yeah?" The woman shook her head. "What is it now?"

"A simple mission," Belladonna assured her. "It's just a single shot that I want to go through the head of a person at NSHT,"

"If it's so simple, why don't you do it yourself?" She asked, crossing her arms.

The wine glass Belladonna was holding was finished off and put down on the table before she spoke. "Silas will know. We're planning a large takeover of NSHT's building sometime in the future, but I have evidence that the son of the creator wants to become a ranger." Belladonna explained. "His computer files are all about the rangers, as are his recent searches."

"How do you know that's what he wants?" The woman responded. "Maybe he's just a freaky fanboy."

"No," She disagreed. "It's too in-depth. Either way, who cares why we need to kill him, when just can?"

The woman nodded. "That's true. Who is he, and what do you want me to do?"

"His name is Anthony Wright," Belladonna told her. "And I need you to put a bullet through his body, ideally his head. Can you do it?"

She sighed, "I can do it."

"Thank you," Belladonna smiled as the woman removed her jacket and hood. "It means a lot to me, Lara."

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Emergency Responders:** Joey makes a mistake on the job and gets Nat hurt, making him rethink his reckless methods.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Rush

 **Before I get into updates about my writing and such, I just want to point out that Lara, as in Lara Letford from the beginning, is back in the game! I originally intended her to be a one-off character, hence why she didn't get an actress portrayal or anything, but I then made her Belladonna's sister and got too many ideas to leave her out. Speaking of actress portrayal, she's now portrayed by Chloe Bennett!**

 **Now, I'm glad to announce that everything will officially be back to the way it was with my writing! I was planning on waiting until I was completely finished with my work, but not only did school start back up right after but, I was actually in treatment for an eating disorder in the meantime and only was able to get to a computer once, and when I did I ended up doing my Beta reading once before also leaving it because of the constraints on my schedule. The new plan is to get them out by story for the '5th anniversary' stuff, so the next three chapters of this story will be released today, and PRRF will be when I'm done, then PRED.**

 **I know I probably disappointed you guys with my break and such after I promised so much, and I'm so sorry for that. All of those chapters will be going up, however, and I'll try to make it up to you however I can! The biggest I'm sorry goes out to Quantum Bewear, as they gave me this idea, was my biggest supporter on it, and was disappointed when it failed miserably. I'll be PMing them very soon to make it up as well!**

 **Oh, and I wanted to give a big thank you to everyone who PMed me about how I was doing after my last author's note update - it means a lot to be that you guys care enough to do so!** **I also wanted to tell anyone whose stories I review regularly or was planning to review that I've been pretty focused on my personal life, as you may realize from above, and I was reading the stories, but didn't leave any reviews! So I should say to ICrzy, SentaSophia, Perry The Brave, and more that you guys are doing great on your work! Anyone else should definitely check them out!**

 **One last thing is that I'll have a new section here dedicated to my Tumblr page that just lets you guys know what I'm posting on there so you can check it out if you're interested. I'll be posting a new update on there after every update on here.**

 **Tumblr Update (charliehartley-writer):** Deleted scene from the last chapter of Power Rangers: Guardians of the Galaxy.

 **Here's the lineup for the next five chapters!**

 **Ep 21: White Lieutenant -** Final new ranger!

 **Ep 22: Brothers -** White Lieutenant and Joey focused chapter.

 **Special: Origins Part I -** Tori and Autumn focused chapter.

 **Special: Origins Part II -** Sean and Jason focused chapter.

 **Special: Origins Part III -** Taz and Nikki focused chapter.

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you guys back with the next one!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	21. Ep 20: Rush

**Hey guys, here's the next one! I got all of the police code information from a Google search, so I may be wrong in some of them, just to let you guys know. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

After recovering for quite some time, Joey was more than happy to be back at work and out in the field. He was paired with Nat to do a security check around the perimeter of the ground around the NSHT building, waiting for any suspicious activity. While they did this, Tori was back at ER looking into the case more with Masters, and Taz was taking days off to be with Sean, who was still in the psychiatric ward at the hospital.

Originally, the lieutenants were given the case to look into, but after finding more information than they thought, especially since the information they found was confusing, it was decided that the chiefs would take over the investigation.

What they had originally perceived as an attack on the building was muddled by unreliable facts and information that made no sense, so now both of the teams were stumped as to what they should do about this situation.

Despite the lack of and confusing information, the chiefs were still looking into everything they could and had sent Nat and Joey to do a perimeter check. As they were doing so, Joey would periodically look over at Nat and then turn back to looking ahead before she caught him. When he did it once more, however, she looked straight back at him.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Nat asked, raising an eyebrow and stopping in her walk, making him stop as well. "You keep looking over at me like you're waiting for something."

"I'm not waiting for anything, I'm just looking over at your because I think you're beautiful," Joey said, smoothly. "I know we've been out on a date, as _friends_ , and you've taken care of me in the hospital and after, so I guess if I _am_ waiting for something, it would be an answer as to what we are,"

Nat bit her lip. She had thought a lot about that question as well, since they had clicked but never actually done anything about it. "I don't know, honestly."

"Well, if I like you and you like me, which I hope you do, then I don't see why we're sitting around like two kids that have a schoolyard crush on each other," Joey told her. "I'm not trying to rush you, but you know I'm a guy that takes risks and does things in the moment, because life's too short. That being said, I would wait around for you."

"Really?" Nat smiled softly, flattered. "That sweet. And I know what you're saying, and I do like you, but there's a lot of things I have to think about when it comes to stuff like this. I have a lot of responsibilities and obligations involved in my life."

"I completely understand," Joey assured her. "Whatever you need, I'm here for you."

She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

Before the two could get back to their job, Joey saw someone walking around the building, seemingly scoping it out. He also had his hand in his jacket in a way that was implying that he had a weapon on him.

"Nat," He nudged her. "That guy over there looks suspicious, and I think he has a weapon."

"What?" Nat turned around and peered over at the man, nodding at Joey when she saw what he did. "Yeah, I think so too. We should call it in." She told him, about to get her cellphone out. Because the two didn't want to discourage any attempts on the places, as they wanted to catch someone in the act, they had a squad car sitting just around the corner that would come out and take anyone suspicious in.

Joey stopped her. "Wait, why don't we go handle it? If that car shows up, he could just go off with whatever he has."

"I don't know, Joey." Nat frowned. "Wouldn't that be breaking our protocol?"

"No, I don't think so." Joey responded. "Especially not if we cuff him first and then call the guys over, just to make sure everyone is safe."

"Okay," She responded, after a moment of sighing.

The yellow chief gestured for her to stay put while he went over there. He approached the man casually, trying to smile. "Hey, man. What are you doing around here?"

"None of your business," The man brushed him off roughly. "I don't even know you, man."

"Well, I'm sure you know that this is security enforced property, and the public isn't allowed to be loitering around here during work hours," Joey pointed out. When the man rolled his eyes, Joey pulled out his badge. "I'm sure you know what this is too,"

Immediately, the man grew frantic. As Joey put his badge back in his pocket, the man shoved Joey back and took off running. Nat left her post and sprinted after the man, Joey running just after her.

Using her ability, Nat concentrated a small distance ahead of the man and teleported in front of him. He jumped in shock when he saw her in front of him and ran straight into her, taking his object out of his jacket and shoving it at her, making her fall to the ground before he was tackled by the other officers, who saw them running.

"You got him?" Joey asked the other officers, not realizing the situation with Nat just yet. That was, until he looked down and saw her still lying on the ground, clutching a hand over her stomach breathing heavily. "He got you good, huh? Did he hit you with his gun?"

One of the other officers stood up, looking over at Joey with wide eyes. "Joey, he didn't have a gun."

"What are you..." Joey trailed off as he looked over at the officer, seeing a bloody knife in his possession. "Oh my God." His heart raced as he fell to his knees beside Nat, seeing the blood pooling from her injury. "Shit, Nat." He put his morpher up to his mouth, "417A, officer down. I repeat, officer down. We need a bus to this location."

 _"Copy that,"_ The voice on the other end replied, though Joey wasn't too concerned with that as he turned back to Nat, who seemed to be going into shock already.

He put his hand over her's and pressed down, trying to stem the blood flow as much as possible. "You're gonna be okay," He reassured her, trying to smile as well as he could for her sake. "I promise." She looked up at him and weakly smiled back, before twisting her face in pain and tensing up. "Where is that damn ambulance?" He muttered under his breath.

Suddenly, before any of them could react, two gunshots went off nearby, startling all of them, including Nat, who jolted and winced from the movement. Joey peered back, but was unable to see anything, so instead turned back and remained focused on Nat, who was losing her battle to stay conscious.

In the background, he briefly heard the other officers yelling, "10-71! 10-71!" into their radios as he waited for an ambulance.

 **\- Cue Opening 2 -**

Back at ER, Lia made her way into Masters' office, approaching his desk and offering a file over to him. He looked at her over the rim of his computer, also noting the grim look that rested on her face.

Raising an eyebrow, Masters took the file. "Is there something you'd like to tell me, Lia?" He drawled, giving her an impatient look.

"Actually, there is," Lia nodded. She paused, looking around as she tried to figure out how to say what she needed to say. "The NSHT case has become much more complicated. Today, while Joey and Nat were on patrol, the two went to pursue a man, and he stabbed Nat before being apprehended."

"What?" Masters stared up at her in shock, before running a hand over his face. "How is she?"

Lia sighed. "Serious, but not critical. There's no other information being released at this time," She explained. "Not only that, but the son of Arthur Wright was shot at this morning, just minutes after the stabbing occurred."

"Was he hit?"

"Grazed in the upper arm," Lia responded, making Masters breathe out in relief. "But one of his bodyguards was shot and killed,"

"Is that what Silas was planning? To kill the CEO's son?" Masters frowned. "It seems too simple, almost."

She shrugged. "I don't know, maybe he was planning to throw us off so he could kill him."

"But why would he want to? As far as we know, the son is completely clean and Silas wouldn't really have a motive to kill him." Masters pointed out. "Especially not one that he would make up a convoluted plan to throw us off of it's trail."

"Maybe there's something we don't know," Lia suggested.

Masters nodded. "That's the only thing I can think of. There's obviously something we're missing, but what would that be?"

Gesturing to the file, Lia spoke up, "That's why I brought you the file. I figured you would be the best person to ask in finding something that's missing,"

He made a move to open the folder, when the door opened. Sera poked her head in, smiling awkwardly at interrupting. "Masters, Joey's here."

"I didn't ask for Joey," Masters frowned.

"Yeah, but Mr. Skomal requested you speak to him about his actions. He was the one who suggested taking the man on, despite their undercover status." Sera responded, making Masters sigh deeply.

"Alright, send him in," He told her, before turning to Lia. "I know your main job is running the lieutenant base, but you're still a detective. I'd like you to go talk to the son, while I get my two remaining chiefs to talk to Arthur."

Lia took a deep breath, and nodded. "Okay, I'm on it." She left the room as Joey walked in, looking disheveled and nervous.

"Masters, let me explain," Joey started, sitting down in a chair across from him. "I swear, I just thought..."

A hand was held up, and Joey stopped talking. "No, Joey, you didn't think. That was what got you hurt, and that was what got Nat hurt. You have to know that."

Joey looked as if Masters had slapped him. "It wasn't on purpose. I would never get Nat hurt intentionally, things got..."

"I only have two rangers on this team now, because of you!" Masters yelled, standing up and slamming a hand down on his desk. "My superior even knew about your actions! You need to slow down and think before you act. You had a job to do, and you failed."

"But..."

"No!" Masters growled. "There is no room for discussion. The CEO of NSHT's son was shot at today - his bodyguard was killed! If you had done your job, none of this would've happened." He ran a hand through his hair, calming himself down. "I want you to go down to NSHT and talk to Mr. Wright about this, and I want Tori to wait outside in case something happens. You are only going to ask questions, and not do anything else. Heavy lifting will be for her, got it?"

He looked down, ashamed. "Yes, sir. We'll report back to you as soon as we can."

"You'd better," Masters shook his head, "Now get out of my sight." When he said this, Joey stood and made his way out of the room, leaving Masters to himself.

\- PRER -

On the other side of town, Silas sat in his office, leaning back in his large chair and rapping his fingers together when Belladonna slipped in through the large double doors. At first, she startled when she noticed him staring at her, before taking a deep breath and walking over to him.

"You scared me," She quipped, leaning forward seductively against his desk. "Maybe you could make it up to me."

"Or, perhaps you could tell me why an unidentified female assailant attempted to shoot the son of the CEO of NSHT," Silas responded, leaning forward as well, though his expression was malicious. "I suppose you probably know something about that."

Belladonna pulled back and stared down at him, her expression turning dark. "Why would you accuse me of something like that?"

"Who else would've done it?" Silas asked, his glare hard. "No one else had motive - in fact, I don't even know what _your_ motive was, considering we were gonna lay low on this until we had a chance."

"If you don't know why I would have motive, then you shouldn't even go there," Belladonna retorted, her hands on her hips. "It wasn't me."

"I don't believe you," Silas hissed, standing up from his seat, and moving around his table to stand face to face with her. "Why did you do it?"

She stood her ground, "I didn't, but even if I did, isn't that a good thing for us?"

Silas grabbed her by the neck and shoved her hard into the wall behind her. "How in the hell would this be good for us?"

"They'll think that's why we were messing around NSHT," Belladonna responded, shoving him off of her, something that made him raise an eyebrow in surprise. "Maybe they'll get off of our backs now,"

He huffed, chuckling slightly. "I'm sorry, but did you just admit to the crime and shove me? Huh, you're brave,"

"More so than you," Belladonna crossed her arms. "All you do is sit in this office and give out orders because you think no one will stand up to you. You're wrong, because I'm right here."

"You..." Silas waved his finger at her, before pushing her against the wall once more. This time, however, he started to passionately kiss her. After a few moments, he pulled away and traced a hand over her cheek. "Are the woman of my dreams."

After he said that, he lifted her up, allowing her to wrap her legs around his hips. Kissing her once more before smiling, he carried her out of the room and towards his bedroom, where he closed the door firmly behind him.

\- PRER -

Meanwhile, Tori and Joey made their way up to the top floor of the NSHT building, and walked down the hall towards the CEO's office. Luckily, since his son had only been grazed by the bullet, he hadn't left to go to the hospital with him since he had come back only an hour or so later.

Tori gestured down the other way. "I heard the son is in a room over there with Lia," She told him. "I'm gonna walk the floors to make sure no one's here, and then I'm gonna go see if I can hear anything."

"Alright," Joey shrugged, allowing her to go off while he took a deep breath and paused outside of the office.

The talk he had with Masters had shaken him, and he felt like his confidence had taken a real blow. In a sense, he knew Masters was right. Joey should've been more careful and thought it through more, but on the other hand, he was talking about changing Joey's whole philosophy.

Shoot first, ask questions later was something Joey could relate to. He was always acting before he thought, and he usually never got hurt or hurt anyone else too badly. If anything, it was him that was usually getting bashed for doing something without making sure it was okay.

At the very least, he knew he could take responsibility for his actions, but at the very worst, he was getting people hurt. People like Nat, who he really cared about.

Shaking his head to stop himself from getting distracted, Joey composed himself in a serious manner. He opened the door and walked into the officer, taking out his badge and laying it on the table in front of Arthur, who had yet to look up at him.

"Mr. Wright, I'm Chief Joseph Dixon," He said firmly, making Arthur look up at him suddenly. When the two made eye contact, Arthur went pale, almost like he recognized Joey. "Is something wrong?"

"You're..." Arthur trailed off, staring at Joey. "Do you know who I am?"

For a strange moment, Joey felt like he did recognize Arthur on a personal level, though it was unclear why. "I don't know, do we know each other?"

"Oh, no, probably not," Arthur shook his head, standing up to walk around the table and address him. "Probably just mistaking you for someone else. I'm Arthur Wright," He held his hand out to Joey.

"Nice to meet you, sir," Joey took his hand and shook it, making Arthur smile at him. Joey found his behavior a bit odd, but ignored it. "I'm here to discuss what happened to your son, Anthony Wright."

"Yes, have you met with him?" He asked, carefully.

Joey pursed his lips. "No, not yet, but hopefully I will soon. I was one of the officers here this morning when he was shot at, but I was unable to meet him after my partner was stabbed by a man we presume to have distracted us for the real assailant."

"I see," Arthur seemed disappointed, but didn't relay why. "Would you like to have a seat?"

"Sure, thank you." Joey nodded, sitting down to speak with Arthur.

Out in the hallway, Tori was walking around carefully, until she came around the room she knew Lia and Mr. Wright's son were in. She was surprised to not see any security hanging around outside of the room, but counted it as her blessing.

Looking both ways to make sure no one was watching her, Tori leaned against the door and listened in.

 _"I'd have to think about it,"_ Lia's voice spoke. _"I have been watching you since I found out that you were a private eye, but after what happened today and the possibility that Silas has an eye on you, I'm not sure if this is a good idea."_

A sigh was heard. _"I understand where you're coming from, Ms. Carter, but you have to understand how long I've wanted this. I'm the first person that wants to be safe in a situation, but it's time that I break away from my guarded life and guard myself for once."_

 _"Well, you need to know that this is a bit odd for me,"_ Lia responded. _"While I have been looking into you, you also probably know that you bear an uncanny resemblance to our yellow chief, Joey."_

 _"Yes, I am aware,"_ He responded. _"That's another reason I want to become a ranger, actually. I wanna know who he is, and why we look so alike. Besides that, I have a lot of drive and I take many precautions before running into a situation. I never do anything unprepared and..."_

Tori pulled away from the door, a bit shocked. She remembered hearing about how there were going to be three new rangers, and there were only two currently, but she didn't realize it was coming so soon and from such a close resource.

She noticed someone coming and left to go back towards the office, trying not to think about what she had just heard.

\- PRER -

Later that day, when Lia had gotten back to the lieutenant base, she found it mostly empty, save for Sophie and Andi. Since the chiefs had taken over the NSHT case, the lieutenants didn't have anything substantial to do that day, and were sent home early.

While Lia was grateful that they would get some time to themselves, she also found herself irritated by it. That meant that the chiefs were back on top with Nat joining them, and the lieutenants were no longer considered equal to them.

Instead of them getting an equal amount of cases like they were, now they were practically getting none. Before, even though the difference in the material of the cases that they were getting was glaring, they were glad to have cases that actually had substance to work at.

Now, it felt like they were dealing with traffic infractions and minor harassment cases. Lia was sure that they would get something new, but that was only because three of the chiefs were out - two on medical, and one using vacation days to take care of the other.

It made her feel increasingly bitter about the way the two teams were divided and viewed, despite them not even being that much different. In fact, the only difference was public opinion due to a bias from the higher-ups of ER.

That didn't mean there was anything she could do about it, but it still made her rather upset.

Sighing to herself, she walked over to a small compartment in the wall and put in a password, opening it to reveal another morpher, which was hooked up to various wires and such.

"Is this thing up to full speed yet?" Lia asked, peering over at Sophie.

"No," She shook her head. "Well, it _is_ , but it's currently in the same state as the other two,"

Lia cursed under her breath. "This isn't good. The other two are already operational, and this one's about to be. Once they're attached, they can't just be removed that easily."

"Do they know?" Andi turned around in her seat to face Lia. "About the defect, I mean."

"I haven't told them, because I don't think it'll ever come up." Lia replied. "The chances of the defect coming up randomly and on it's own is practically one in million."

"But what if it does?" Sophie asked, worriedly. "They could..."

She was cut off by Lia, "That won't happen - I'm almost positive. If it does, and that's a big _if_ , we will handle it accordingly. It's too late now, anyways."

Andi gestured to the device, "Not for this morpher,"

"Yes, and I will try to make sure it's ready by then. For now, let's just keep this between us, Masters, and the chief interns, alright?" Lia said, making them both nod. "Good." She turned back to the other morpher, staring at it for a moment before closing up the compartment and leaving it for another day.

\- PRER -

At the hospital, Joey quietly made his way down the hall and into Nat's room. After having surgery earlier, Nat had been moved to her own room and was said to be resting and recovering well. He was still extremely worried about her, given the damage that could've been done, and was grateful that he was allowed in to see her.

Opening the door, he was greeted with a seemingly sleeping Nat, who had wires, monitors, and oxygen hooked up to her, though she was propped upright by the bed. Joey couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt in his chest when he saw her, and moved to sit in the empty chair next to her bed.

Carefully, he took her hand. "Nat, I'm so sorry this happened to you," Joey whispered, not wanting to wake her. "This is all my fault, and if anything ever happened to you, I don't know what I'd do with myself. I know that might sound creepy, but it's true. I care about you a lot, and I really want you to get better," He bowed his head, and lightly kissed her hand.

"You're the sweetest," Nat mumbled from the bed, opening her eyes and smiling softly at him.

"Shit, did I wake you?" Joey asked, worriedly.

She shook her head slightly. "No, I was just resting, not sleeping." She squeezed his hand and gave him an admiring look. "You came to visit me,"

"Of course," Joey nodded. "I was really concerned about you, and I felt awful. This is all my fault; if I didn't suggest going after that guy in the first place, this never would've happened."

"And he might've hurt someone else." Nat pointed out. "You're too sweet for you're own good. You can't beat yourself up over this."

Joey sighed, "How can I not?"

Nat chuckled lightly. "Because if you had really screwed me over, I would be beating you up myself." She quipped, making him smile. "By the way, I know what we are,"

He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You're my boyfriend," Nat told him, using her grip on his hand to pull him towards her and make him sit on the bed. When he did so, Nat wrapped her free arm around his waist. "And I'm your girlfriend. That's what we are."

"Are you sure?" Joey asked. "Not that I'm complaining, but you said..."

The pink chief waved him off. "I know what I said, but I don't care. You were right when you said life's too short to wait around for things to happen, and I realized that today. I could've died, but I didn't, and it makes me wanna do things I've been waiting around for."

"This is probably the best news I've heard all day," Joey told her, smiling.

"I'm sure it is," She said, cheekily. "Now kiss me, for real this time."

"I would love to." He leaned forward, kissing her softly as he thought about how well his day had turned around.

\- PRER -

That evening, Tony was at his father's house, trying to look around to see if he could find anything as to why he and Joey looked so alike. Normally, he supposed someone in his position would probably just write it off as a coincidence, but he couldn't help but think otherwise.

Especially damning to this being something suspicious was that Tony had never met his mother, meaning she could have another child, which he supposed could be Joey. Then again, they looked so alike, it would be hard to believe they were only half-brothers.

Not only that, but Tony had looked into Joey some, and discovered they actually shared the same birthday, including the year. Despite not knowing Joey, he knew that it was highly unlikely to just be a coincidence.

He rummaged through drawers in Arthur's office, looking for anything about it. Soon, he opened one drawer, and while he was looking through the files, he accidentally touched the bottom of the drawer. When he did, he noticed that it was soft, when it should be hard.

Concluding that it was a false bottom, Tony pulled everything out of the drawer, before pulling the bottom out. Inside was a black box, and Tony pulled it out immediately and opened it.

Inside, he found something that shocked him. Pictures of a woman he could only assume was his mother, as well as a picture of Joey, even with his name on it.

"What the hell?" Tony whispered as he picked up a picture of two babies - twins, in fact. He turned it over, seeing his and Joey's names scribbled on the back in his father's handwriting.

Before he could look any further, the door opened and his father entered, looking startled to find Tony looking through the box. "Tony, what are you...?" He trailed off, shocked.

Tony held up the picture. "I've had a twin my whole life, and you've hid this from me?"

"Just let me explain," Arthur held his hands up in surrender. "Alright? I'll tell you everything you wanna know."

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Emergency Responders:** After everything, Tony makes a move to become a ranger and finally meet Joey.

 **Next Chapter Title:** White Lieutenant

 **Wow, a lot happened in this chapter! First, I should mention that Silas and Belladonna are starting to go down a road that you probably won't see coming, and not just in the sense of their plan for NSHT. I really love writing them, since they're probably my favorite villains out of all that I've written, with Jetta from PRRF coming to a close second.**

 **Second, I know it's probably been obvious that Tony's gonna be the next ranger, but now he's really making strides towards that goal. Also, you may have already guessed it, but it's official that he and Joey are related, and are twins! It's definitely about to get complicated on that.**

 **Also, what about what Lia, Sophie, and Andi were talking about? I don't want to say anything on that because I don't want to give anything away, but I'd love to hear your guys' thought on what that might be!**

 **Tumblr Update (charliehartley-writer):** Deleted scene from this chapter with Autumn and Lia.

 **Here's the lineup for the next five chapters!**

 **Ep 22: Brothers -** Tony and Joey focused chapter.

 **Special: Origins Part I -** Tori and Autumn focused chapter.

 **Special: Origins Part II -** Sean and Jason focused chapter.

 **Special: Origins Part III -** Taz and Nikki focused chapter.

 **Special: Origins Part IV -** Joey and Owen focused chapter.

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you guys back with the next one!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	22. Ep 21: White Lieutenant

**Hey guys! It's finally come to this - the final ranger for the team is here! This also means that you get a new cover photo and cover video for the last time in this story!**

 **Oh, and I realized I forgot to post the Tumblr update like I said, so I'll upload that right now so you guys can check that out!**

 **Also, I have a new poll up for your favorite Lieutenant ranger from the team. Go check it out and vote on it - it would be a big help!**

* * *

In the morning, Masters sat in his office, looking through various case files as he usually did before he went to address the chiefs with their daily tasks. Most of the cases he was getting lately seemed tedious and unimportant in the grand scheme of things, and he could usually pass them off to the other officers that worked in the massive building, since they weren't really worth the time of the rangers.

Sighing to himself, he set the files down and leaned back in his chair, rubbing a hand down his face as the door opened. He pulled his hand away and looked up to see Lia walking up to his desk.

"Something you need?" Masters drawled, looking a bit irritated.

"No, not necessarily," Lia responded. "Just wanted to let you know that the white lieutenant morpher is coming along just as the purple lieutenant and pink chief morphers did."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're kidding,"

"I wish." Lia said, dejectedly. "But it's true. Those three morphers - even if it's a slim to none chance that anything will happen - are ticking time-bombs. It's even more frustrating since I've finally narrowed down my search to a few candidates, but I feel just as wary about it as I did before."

"Well, it _is_ a slim to none chance, Lia. That means there's a 99.9% chance that nothing will happen," Masters assured her. "I wouldn't worry too much about it."

"How can you say that?" Lia asked after a moment of silence. Her tone was almost disgusted, and she shook her head. "These are our rangers - they trust us to make sure they're safe at the end of the day, especially when it comes to their powers. Are we just supposed to sit back and ignore it until something _does_ happen?"

Masters stared at her. "What else do you think you can do about it?" He asked, simply.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Masters said quickly. "What else can you do about it? It's already been done, and we don't know how to fix them. Either we give them to the rangers and protect this town, or we take them away and risk everything over a slim to none chance that something bad will happen."

Lia turned away from him slightly, her expression worried. "I never said that we shouldn't risk it, but I do think it's something to be concerned about, Lincoln." She whispered. "I don't want anything to happen to them."

"It won't." He reassured her. "Of course it's impossible to be sure, but I'll tell you that we can try our best to keep them safe. That's all we can do."

"Yeah, maybe," Lia replied, keeping herself turned away from him. "But that doesn't mean I'm gonna stop trying to figure out a way to fix this."

"I would be disappointed if you didn't," Masters said. He stood up from his desk and walked up to her, making her look at him. "It's gonna be alright," Turning his head, he could hear the rangers conversing out in the chief base. "They're here; let's get out there."

She took a deep breath to compose herself and nodded, walking out of the office with him to greet the three remaining chiefs and all five of the lieutenants. While most of them were talking amongst themselves, Autumn had broken away from the rest of the group and was sitting awkwardly at the side of the room.

"There are no cases today," Lia announced loudly, over their talking. This announcement immediately made the room silent and turn to them. "You're all going on patrol."

The eight looked slightly disappointed, but didn't say anything about it. They all looked between the two, waiting for further instructions.

"We would usually pair you up on your own teams," Masters continued for Lia. "But since the teams have gotten bigger, and we're missing two, I'll be pairing up one of you from the chiefs and one from the lieutenants together."

"Is that necessary?" Autumn asked, looking taken aback by this news. "We could always have a pair and a team of three, or two pairs and someone alone."

Masters raised an eyebrow at her, "It's interesting that you're the one to contradict me, Autumn, considering you'll be the one I'm pairing with a chief," He told her, making her bow her head slightly as he turned to the three chiefs. "Tori, you're with Autumn."

"Alright," Tori nodded. She tried to remain stoic on the outside, but she was actually quite pleased with this pairing, as she had wanted to talk to Autumn for a while now. Unfortunately, the latter had been avoiding her since they got kidnapped.

"Now, the rest will be Joey and Taz, Jason and Moran, and Nikki and Owen," Lia spoke, before Masters put his hand up to stop her.

"I'd rather split Owen and Nikki up," Masters stated. Lia turned to him sharply, angry that he had overruled her to her own team. "It's not the smartest idea to have a couple put together in a dangerous situation - it could cloud their judgement. I'd like Owen to be paired with Jason, and Nikki to be paired with Moran instead."

The lieutenants all looked to Lia questioningly, wondering who they should listen to. Lia sighed, "Fine, we'll do it your way for now." She gestured for them to be able to leave. "You guys can get going if you're ready; the location assignments are on the board. We'll be here to monitor for any activity you might want to go for."

As they all went their separate ways, Lia spun around to face Masters. "What the hell was that?" She crossed her arms. "I get that you're my higher-up, but that doesn't mean you can override my word with my team."

"I just wanted to switch things up," Masters assured her. "It wasn't me trying to put you in your place. I just feel like we always set the same people up when we really need to let them interact with other members that they usually don't."

Lia rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah? Then why set Tori and Autumn up together? You know they've worked together more times than any of the others chiefs and lieutenants have."

He nodded in agreement. "Yes, but they're obviously having issues that need to be resolved. I figured that it would be the best option for them to be together so they would have to get along. I can't have two members of these teams not getting along at this point,"

"Because it's dangerous." Lia concluded. "I understand that, but I don't know how healthy it is for their relationship to _make_ them talk, instead of letting them reconcile on their own terms, especially after what happened to them."

"That was months ago," Masters made a face. "They've had enough time to recover."

"Do you honestly think that it's that easy to get over something like that?" Lia scowled. "Autumn looks like she hasn't slept for weeks, and Tori's hiding something beneath that facade of being unfazed. I'm sure you already know that, though."

Masters cleared his throat. "That doesn't mean they should still be dwelling on it." He said lowly. "It'll consume them if they're not careful. Trust me,"

"I..." Lia trailed off as Masters brushed past her and made his way into his office, closing the door firmly behind him, leaving her to herself.

 **\- Cue Opening 3 -**

"Hey," Nikki nudged Moran as they walked out of ER. She gestured to the cafe across the street. "I'm gonna stop in right there for a coffee; you want one?"

Moran thought for a moment, but decided against it. "No, but thank you. I'll wait outside, okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Nikki replied as they crossed the street and made their way over to the cafe. Nikki made her way inside, while Moran found a seat at an empty table outside.

Almost as soon as Nikki went inside, however, a hand tapped Moran on the shoulder. She jumped slightly and turned around, surprised to find a familiar face standing behind her. "Joey?"

He laughed, "No, it's Tony," A smirk graced his face as she flushed with embarrassment. "I should really meet this Joey so I can see what all the fuss is about."

"I'm sorry," Moran smiled awkwardly. "It's just.. you look almost identical to him. I know I've already told you that, but I swear, it's almost scary how much you two look alike. Are you sure you don't already know him and you're not just playing tricks on me?"

"Unfortunately, I don't. I think I would know if I knew someone who looked exactly like me," Tony chuckled.

"It's crazy. I mean, you guys could be twins," Moran responded. "I'm sorry, I'm kinda hung up on it. How are you doing? I heard you were in trouble the other day,"

Tony pursed his lips, "I was shot at, but I didn't get directly shot. I was grazed with a bullet after a bodyguard of mine was shot and killed, unfortunately. But, I'm fine, thank you for the concern." He gave her a small smile. "How are you?"

"Good," Moran returned his smile more boldly than before. "I'm actually out on patrol right now with my teammate, Nikki."

"Oh, you are?" He looked around. "Where is she?"

Just as Moran opened her mouth to respond, Nikki came out of the cafe, sipping her coffee. She noticed Tony, and walked over to the two. "Hey, Joey. What are you doing here?"

"Wow, every time, huh?" Tony looked amused. "My name's actually Tony, but I've been told how much I look like Joey quite a few times,"

Nikki raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Wait, you're not...? Are you his brother or something?"

He looked down, as if suddenly finding the ground to be rather interesting. "I've never formally met him, but I've heard good things."

"That's insane!" Nikki exclaimed, walking towards him to look at his face. She did notice his demeanor had shifted slightly after her saying that, but she said nothing for the time being. Observing him, she said, "You two are practically identical! You sure you don't know him?"

"I don't think so," Tony bit his lip, glancing over to Moran, who was sitting patiently beside the two. "I actually have to get going; I'm about to meet with someone about a.. job opportunity."

Moran stood up, "Alright, well we have to go too, anyways. It was nice seeing you again." She blushed at his smile. "Maybe we could do it again soon."

"Definitely," Tony nodded, before continuing to walk down the street the opposite way as they were going.

After a few moments of silence between the two, Nikki spoke up. "How did you meet him?"

A bit startled by Nikki breaking the silence, Moran turned to her as they continued walking. "Oh, he's Arthur Wright's son."

"The one who got shot?"

"He didn't get shot. He was shot at, but he was fine." Moran frowned as she saw the look on Nikki's face. "Why?"

She shrugged. "I just.. there's something going on that I can't really put my finger on. Are you sure he was telling the truth about not knowing Joey? Because they look too similar to be complete strangers. Has Joey ever mentioned a brother?"

"I haven't talked to him too much since I've started working here," Moran admitted. "But I've been told that he only has his mom - he doesn't know..." She trailed off as a realization came to her. Nikki looked at her questioningly, and she elaborated. "He doesn't know his dad."

"Does Tony know his mom?" Nikki asked.

"Everything from the files we had about him never mention a mother in the picture," Moran answered. She put a hand to her head and sighed. "They probably don't even know."

Nikki gestured back. "We should go find him."

"How? We don't know where he went," Moran responded. "He could be far by now."

"It doesn't matter," Nikki turned around, and Moran followed after a moment's hesitation. "We should find him and see what he knows, and figure this out if he doesn't."

Moran didn't verbally reply, but she nodded, and the two went off in search of Tony.

\- PRER -

Meanwhile, Tori and Autumn walked along in silence. Autumn was actively avoiding eye contact and would hardly respond when Tori would talk, while Tori was trying to figure out what to say to her to allow for a real conversation.

The silence was allowed to continue for a few more moments, before Tori sighed loudly and grabbed Autumn by the arm, pulling her off the the side of a nearby building.

"What are you doing?" Autumn finally said, pulling her arm gently out of Tori's grasp. She looked around, and looked back to Tori nervously. "You know, this is what we did right before you got shot and almost died."

"I don't care, Autumn." She ground out, obviously frustrated. "What the hell is going on between us? You've been avoiding me since we recovered."

Autumn looked away, almost ashamed. "I.. it doesn't matter. Why do you care so much?"

"Okay, let me approach this a different way," Tori rolled her eyes. "What is going on with _you_? Because I'm fine, and I've recovered, but you're acting like all of this just happened yesterday."

"Excuse me?" Autumn's shy expression turned into one of offense. "Are you really criticizing me for struggling with what happened? I remember everything that happened! You don't!"

"Autumn..." Tori started.

She was quickly cut off, however. "No, don't try to make this sound better than it is! I thought you were gonna die! I had no idea what was gonna happen to us! And then we.. it's not important."

Tori crossed her arms, looking uncomfortable. "If it's not important than why do you keep bringing it up?"

"Because it actually is important, but you don't... You know what, Tori?" Autumn shook her head angrily. "Screw you. You have no idea how I feel, and you have no right to tell me how to feel."

Just as Autumn began to walk away, Tori called after her. "You're wrong, Autumn!" She yelled, making Autumn stop in her tracks and turn slightly towards her as she continued to speak. "I lied." She admitted after a moment. "I do remember what happened, so I do know how you feel. Can't we talk about this?"

"Wait a minute, you lied?" Autumn walked towards her slowly, her face twisting to reveal her feelings of betrayal. "This whole time I've been running around trying to avoid you because I was afraid of thinking about this and telling you it every time I saw you, and you're gonna tell me that you lied? How much do you even remember?!"

It was Tori's turn to look ashamed. "Everything."

"Everything? You remember _everything_?!" Autumn exclaimed in horror. "And you let me think you didn't? I have been having constant nightmares about what happened since then! I haven't been sleeping or eating because I'm so fucked up over this!"

"I didn't know that," Tori responded. This admittance made her feel even worse for lying than she had before. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I thought you didn't remember! You told me you didn't want to hear about it!" Autumn glared at her for a moment, then took a deep breath to speak calmly. "You remember the kiss, and you lied about it." She tilted her head to side. "Wow, I've never been rejected so harshly before. If you really didn't feel that way then you shouldn't have done it, or you should've just told me afterwards instead of lying."

The red chief clenched her fists in frustration. "You don't even understand. I wasn't rejecting you, I didn't even know what I was feeling at the time! I was worried it was all a spur of the moment thing because I thought we were gonna die. Honestly, it was overwhelming."

"And?" Autumn crossed her arms. "What do you think now?"

Clearing her throat, Tori quietly spoke, "I know that it wasn't just a spur of the moment thing."

At that, Autumn breathed out, feeling a mixture of emotions wash over her. "Yeah, I felt that way too."

"I figured." Tori nodded. "So, what does that mean?" She moved towards Autumn, but the lieutenant backed away when she did. "Autumn?"

"This can't happen; this cannot be the basis of a relationship," Autumn shook her head. "I can't do this. You lied to me for months, and you could've told me at anytime. This could've been resolved and maybe we could've been together, but I don't know now. I don't think I can trust you, Tori."

Tori looked startled by her response. "Wait, please. We _can_ resolve this - let's just talk about it."

"No, Tori, I can't." Autumn held her arms harder against her chest uncomfortably. She pulled out her phone quickly as it buzzed, and was surprised to see a text from Lia. She quickly forwarded it to the other lieutenants and looked back up at Tori. "I have to go."

"I can help you guys," Tori offered as she turned to leave. "I can get Taz and Joey too."

"It's fine, we don't need it. You can just go back to the base." Autumn told her, not looking back at her. After pausing for a moment, Autumn ran off towards where she needed to go, leaving a stunned Tori behind.

\- PRER -

At ER, Tony walked through the hallways carefully, looking at the signs nearby to see where he was going. Everyone who was working at the time were rushing around due to the current criminal activity going on with the lieutenants, so they weren't really glancing twice at him. He supposed the fact that he looked just like Joey probably helped him blend in as well.

When he finally got to the lieutenant base, he was surprised to find that no one was there. He shrugged it off, assuming it could be because the chief base was more advanced for that kind of stuff since they dealt with worse crimes.

After a moment of staring, he finally made his way in and began looking for the device. While he was looking, the fight was coming up on the monitors and he was keeping an eye on it out of the corner of his eye.

Soon, he came across a compartment in the wall and tried to open it, though it was password locked. Cursing to himself, he looked around and saw some plain tape on the table. He grabbed it and began to stick different pieces of tape on all of the numbers and pulling them off, seeing which ones came away with fingerprints on them.

He startled suddenly when someone cleared their throat behind him. Tony turned to see Lia standing there, her arms crossed and a hard look on her face. Smiling sheepishly, he faced her completely. "Hey, this is awkward." He quipped, hoping to diffuse the tension.

"You could say that," Lia nodded, walking up to him and looking at what he was doing up close. "That's only accurate to a point, you know?"

"Of course," Tony replied. "But its better to have clues in front of you then to have nothing."

Lia pulled the tape off of the numbers and punched it in herself, opening the compartment to reveal the morpher to him. "I'm guessing you were looking for this. I mean, what else would you be looking for,"

"I'm sorry, Lia." He immediately apologized. "I just.. I have to do it. This is what I really want, and I know you said it was a possibility of choosing me, but I figured you wouldn't," When she opened her mouth to respond, he continued. "For more reasons than one. I know that with my dad being the head of NSHT and me looking just like Joey, it wasn't likely. Does he know?"

"No." She responded after a moment. "I didn't show any of them your picture after I saw it, and it wasn't just for your protection. I figured it could cloud judgement."

"Look, please give me the morpher." Tony said. "It's important to me."

She pulled it out of the wall and looked it over. "There's more to this than you understand, Tony. This morpher, as well as the other two newer morphers, have a fatal defect in them that I haven't even fully told Nat and Moran about. I briefly mentioned to them, against Masters' orders, but not enough to explain it like it should be."

"What do you mean?"

"Its..." She sighed. "There's a problem with the way it connects itself to you and your power. It doesn't seem to be a relative issue at the moment, but it could become one easily and cause you three some really serious problems. If you take this on, you have to understand the risks."

Tony looked at the morpher in her hand, before turning to the monitor. He could see the rangers finally take down the man who was wildly attacking them. He thought about turning Lia down for a moment when he heard a loud _BANG!_ and looked to see the rangers get blasted down by another man coming in. The man was walking towards the other man they had just taken down.

Taking a deep breath, Tony turned back to her. "I'm willing to take the risk."

"Alright," Lia handed it to him, and watched as it bonded instantly with him. "Your powers are a bit more advanced in this suit than the others, since we've been working on it the longest. You'll have some enhanced physical and mental abilities that will help you in a fight."

He looked down at it in awe, and smiled at her. "Thank you, Lia." He held his arm out in front of him, and pressed the buttons to morph. "Emergency Responders, Get Into Action!" He called. "White Lieutenant Ranger!"

White dust climbed up his body and formed a suit just like one of the other two lieutenant males, but it was white in place of blue or green, and light blue in place of black.

Lia stared, watching to see how he was feeling. "How is it?"

"Amazing," Tony assured her. "I'll see you back here soon." He nodded once at her before running out of the room, leaving her alone to watch the monitors.

\- PRER -

"They're too strong!" Nikki yelled to the others as she fought off the second man, trying to prevent him from fully freeing his friend, who was struggling to get up currently. She shoved him back when he tried to come at her, and huffed in irritation.

Autumn saw the struggle, and pushed herself to her feet. She ran over to Jason and also pulled him up, whispering to him, "Grab the other one now, and take him to the squad car." She ordered him as she gestured for Moran to come with her to help Nikki.

He nodded at her and ran over to the first man, pushing him back down and securing his handcuffs to their proper state. The man squirmed against Jason's hold, trying to wiggle free in anyway he could. "You could cause damage to your hands if you continue struggling against these cuffs," Jason informed him. "And get more charges filed against you. I'd recommend you stopping."

The first man scoffed and, once Jason got him to his feet, he kicked his foot back to nail Jason in the knee. Jason went down and the man tried to run.

"Not so fast!" Owen exclaimed as he ran in and tackled the guy and shoved him up against a car. "You're not gonna get far like that. If you're gonna try to escape, at least be smart about it."

"Fine," The man brought his head back to collide with Owen's, and cause the green ranger to fall to the ground, disoriented.

Seeing his opportunity, he made a run for it. The rangers yelled for him, but were too preoccupied to grab him. Before he could get too far, however, he was shot in the foot with a laser blast and fell to the ground.

Everyone went silent at this, including the second man, as they stopped for a moment to watch what had happened in total confusion.

A white lieutenant ranger was walking towards them, tucking his blaster back into it's holster. At the same time, he grabbed the man up from the ground and hauled him over to a squad car, shoving him inside the back, much to everyone's surprise.

"Who is that?" Moran asked, wondering if maybe they just hadn't told her about another lieutenant ranger since she was still the newest member of the team.

Autumn briefly glanced at her, "I have no clue." She looked at the others, who had worked at ER much longer than her. "Any of you know?"

"No," Nikki responded distractedly. Jason and Owen also shook their heads.

They watched as he walked towards them. As he did so, the second man threw Autumn, Moran, and Nikki to the side and rushed at this new ranger. The others regrouped together to the side and continued to look on as he matched all of the man's punches instantly.

"Who the hell are you?" The second man asked in surprise, starting to get tired from the repeated motions.

"Someone who's about to take you in," He responded before grabbing the man's hand and twisting it behind his back. He quickly shoved one of the handcuffs on him and moved to grab the other hand when the man whirled around with a knife in hand, attempting to stab at the white ranger.

Instead, the white ranger grabbed his hand as it was just an inch away from his body and twisted it into in the handcuffs as well, making him drop the knife.

The other rangers walked slowly over to the two as the white lieutenant held the second man in his custody. They demorphed, and Jason took the second man from him to take him to the squad car.

"Who are you?" Autumn questioned.

He looked at the group, "I'd like to wait until we get back to the base to tell you, if that's alright."

She thought for a moment, before nodding. "Alright, let's get back then." Autumn gestured for them to follow her, and the six made their way back to the cars.

\- PRER -

Tori paced in the chief base, where she, Taz, and Joey were waiting for the lieutenants to return. They had been waiting with their interns and Masters, anxiously pondering what the fight would bring.

"Where are they?" She muttered. "I knew we should've helped them out."

"They're fine." Lia announced as she, Sophie, and Andi walked into the room. "And they're coming back right now. I've asked them to meet us here since this was unexpected and we need to assess the threat that was presented."

"We still could've helped them," Tori insisted. "You can always use a few extra hands to help out."

Lia gave her a look. "I never realized you were so interested in helping the lieutenants with their fights, Tori. I always assumed you liked that there are two separate teams."

"I do," Tori crossed her arms, defensively. "But today we were all out together, so I think we should've fought together too."

Andi rolled her eyes. "Sure," She mumbled under her breath, walking with Sophie to join Sera and Logan at the desks.

"If I may say anything on the matter," Masters spoke up. "I think we can all calm down and perhaps talk about this another time, since the lieutenants are on their way in."

Just as he said this, two officers walked by with the two men in their custody, while the lieutenants walked into the base. At first, no one seemed to noticed anything off, until the white lieutenant walked in behind the others.

The chiefs exchanged looks, as did the interns. Masters even gave Lia a sharp look, and she shrugged nonchalantly at him.

"Umm..." Sera was the first to speak up through the silence. "Who's that?"

"That's what we're about to find out." Autumn told her. The lieutenants walked into the base, filling in the audience for the white ranger to demorph.

He was about to do so, when Lia held up a hand and walked out in front of him. "Hold on," She said, attracting everyone's attention. "Before he demorphs, you have to know that this is Anthony Wright, the son of Arthur Wright, who owns NSHT as you likely remember. There's a bit more, but you'll see that when you see him."

Some of the others frowned in confusion, but Nikki and Moran glanced at each other knowingly.

"Wait a minute, you got Anthony Wright to be a ranger?" Joey asked, looking to Lia. She nodded, and he walked forward to the white ranger, holding out his hand. "I'm Joseph Dixon, or Joey. I'm kinda the one who let you get shot, so I'm very sorry about that. Hopefully we can get to know each other and be friends in spite of that, Anthony."

Tony made a face beneath his helmet, but shook Joey's hand. "Don't worry about it, it wasn't your fault. It's nice to meet you though, and uhh.. I go by Tony." He pulled his hand away and waited for Joey to rejoin the others. "Wow, that's gonna make this awkward."

"What is he talking about?" Joey turned to look at Masters and Lia just as Tony demorphed.

Everyone stared at him in shock, including Masters. Joey looked at Masters' shocked face, and then to the others. "Why are you guys...?" He trailed off as he finally looked at Tony.

"That's what I was talking about." Tony said, chuckling awkwardly.

"How?" Joey asked, walking back over to him. "How do you just like me?"

"Well, it's kind of a funny story," He responded. "Basically, it started when I saw a picture of Joey on the news..."

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Emergency Responders:** Tony reveals that he and Joey are twins, and the two finally approach their other parent for answers, but Joey doesn't react the way anyone expected to the news.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Brothers

 **Yes, it was finally Tony's time to shine. But now the rangers know that he and Joey look alike, and they may not all respond the same to the revelation of the two being related to each other. I haven't planned any action for the next chapter since I wanted it to be more about the aftermath of everything and the set up of another storyline, but I'm not yet sure if I'll stick to that, so we'll have to see.**

 **Speaking of the next chapter, it will not be coming up until I'm finished with everything I had planned for my fifth anniversary that didn't work out, so you guys may have to wait a little while to see what comes next, but I hope it'll be worth it when it does come!**

 **Tumblr Update (charliehartley-writer):** Short preview of a part of the next chapter.

 **Here's the lineup for the next five chapters!**

 **Special: Origins Part I -** Tori and Autumn focused chapter.

 **Special: Origins Part II -** Sean and Jason focused chapter.

 **Special: Origins Part III -** Taz and Nikki focused chapter.

 **Special: Origins Part IV -** Joey and Owen focused chapter.

 **Special: Origins Part V -** Moran, Nat, and Tony focused chapter.

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you guys back with the next one!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


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